


With Love, From Seoul

by Unusual_Table



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Assault, Bad Decisions, Bullying, Drug Addiction, F/M, Gang Violence, Gangs, I'm a SuLay shipper at heart so I'm not sure what this story says about me, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Mafia AU, Mental Instability, Mild Gore, Multiple Storylines, Murder, Necrophilia, Not all ships are successful, Not necessarily mutual pining, Organized Crime, POV Multiple, Pining, Prostitution, Slow Burn, Suicide Attempt, Unhealthy Relationships, people trying their best
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:53:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 43
Words: 110,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23371987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unusual_Table/pseuds/Unusual_Table
Summary: Kim Jongin was in search of a better life. His search began with Park Chanyeol. A story told in four acts.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun & Do Kyungsoo | D.O, Byun Baekhyun & Kim Jongdae | Chen, Byun Baekhyun/Kim Jongdae | Chen, Byun Baekhyun/Kim Taeyeon, Choi Minho/Lee Taemin, Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Park Sooyoung | Joy, Kim Jongin | Kai & Lee Taemin, Kim Jongin | Kai & Oh Sehun, Kim Jongin | Kai/Oh Sehun, Kim Jongin | Kai/Park Chanyeol, Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Zhang Yi Xing | Lay, Lu Han/Wu Yi Fan | Kris
Comments: 216
Kudos: 122





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Dear humans,
> 
> This is a 2020 rewrite of my original publishing of this fic from 2014-2015 on AFF under my account Unusual_Table (formerly clonesarc170). I have not written a single word of fiction since 2017 because when I finished college real life hit me real hard real fast... kind of like the characters in this story but not as tragic... for the most part.
> 
> Now with the global plague, I am having time for the first time in years to stop and be with my thoughts and when left with my thoughts I get the urge to write. I have no idea if following this rewrite I will get to my other fics that I began around 2016 but never completed such as "Two Minutes" or "Bound by Silver" both of which are currently unlisted on AFF to save people from unnecessary cliffhangers. Perhaps I might even post things for my other fandom (Star Wars) but I doubt it.
> 
> Regardless of what the future holds, I hope I can present to you this new and improved version of "With Love, From Seoul" for both new and old readers assuming anyone even stumbles upon this.
> 
> Well, from my quarantined abode to yours...
> 
> With Love,  
> From Seoul
> 
> STORY GUIDE: FIRST APPEARANCES (EXO)
> 
> ACT I: Jongin, Chanyeol, Baekhyun, Jongdae, Kyungsoo, Luhan, Junmyeon, Zitao  
> ACT II: Yifan, Yixing  
> ACT III: Sehun, Minseok  
> ACT IV: ???

Seoul's cruel love seeped from sidewalk cracks and broken glass. It danced around Baekhyun's frown and tapping foot where dirt rose in the air to soil his scrubbed white shoes and Pokemon laces. On Sungji High School's opening day accented with only one blossoming tree amongst a landscape of brown and gray, Baekhyun was blind to all but the space in the distance where his two friends should have been walking up to the gate as the clock inched closer to striking its morning bell. 

His eyes shifted between open air and the text on the page in front of him. It was a textbook two editions too old but between his class notes and the library it wouldn't pose a problem. In just a couple weeks he'd managed to read through material for the first half of the term, committing as much as he could to memory. Chanyeol and Jongdae didn't feel it yet, this same urgency. While walking through the halls of their dusty, forgotten school, Baekhyun only saw the vine-covered stone walls of Yonsei just beyond his reach, the ticket to the rest of his life. Perhaps his friends would see it too if they only looked hard enough.

"Byun!" a loud voice boomed from out of nowhere before he was abruptly tackled to the ground, book falling from his hands.

Above him now were Jongdae's dark, mischievous eyes with the clouds overhead against a blue sky momentarily uncoiling the anxiety churning in his gut at the prospect of being late for their final opening ceremony, the first of many lasts that would come this year. An inhale brought in the faint smell of alcohol lingering on Jongdae's breath.

"Our last year in this prison!" his friend continued excitedly only laughing when Baekhyun shoved him away to get his hands back on his textbook instead. 

While Baekhyun was focused on brushing the dirt off his book, Jongdae reached up to comb the dirt out of his hair in silent apology.

"You're late," he grumbled while Jongdae dragged him along with a light grip on his wrist. "And you were drinking? The night before classes? Don't break your promise to me, Kim Jongdae."

It was all said with a firmness that used to make his friend cry back in elementary school but now Jongdae only rolled his eyes.

"I won't even though I think these dumb knockoff cram school lessons don't make sense. I'll be there, Baek, no parties. Well... none except for Taeyeon's this weekend to make sure she doesn't take advantage of you more than usual."

Jongdae winced when Baekhyun elbowed him sharply in the side as they walked through the school doors, a blush covering his face at the mention of the older girl - no - _woman_ , one year older than them and starting at Yonsei. The only one to get in from their school in over a decade. 

"That party will make me miss at least four hours of study time so please just try to act normal. I only want to blend in."

He didn't have to look at Jongdae to know he was smiling and despite all the teasing the both of them knew that their words meant no harm.

Inside the auditorium, Baekhyun scanned the crowd for Chanyeol in the off chance the tallest of their trio had somehow slipped in undetected. He was torn between worrying about his usually somewhat punctual friend, the new paper cut on his finger courtesy of Jongdae, and the sight of their class president Do Kyungsoo getting ready to take the stage with his always-one-point-higher-than-Baekhyun brain. Their short break between the end of one term and the beginning of the next seemed longer this time, however, so Baekhyun welcomed such an atmosphere while Jongdae relaxed at his side. 

"Stop worrying so much," Jongdae whispered to him in the middle of Kyungsoo announcing each grade's class trip for the year, "Chanyeol's fine. We'll all be fine."

Baekhyun pulled a tight lipped smile and relaxed at Jongdae's side as they slipped into the auditorium seats. Their final opening ceremony didn't feel right without Chanyeol and the unsettling dreams he’d been having in the damp darkness of his bedroom lurked more strongly in the back of his mind now because of it.

The story for kids like them - kids like him - rarely ended better than they started off. Not in this part of Seoul, not in a world like this.

He pushed those thoughts from his mind and silently sent a prayer to the universe, let his love for his friends pour from his being up into the stars.

Baekhyun did not know it then, but the change he feared most had already arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OTHER STORIES BY UNUSUAL_TABLE
> 
> [Two Minutes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24045196/chapters/57859369): Jongin was born just two minutes after Kai. It took him a long time to realize he didn’t need to spend the rest of his life trying to catch up. [TWINS!AU - CHANKAI, SEKAI]
> 
> [Bound by Silver](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23604130/chapters/56642974): Master had three simple rules for Wolf to follow. The first was to never go beyond the fence. The second was to never speak to lodgers. The third was to never respond to the howl of the Mountain Spirits that could be heard on nights of the full moon. [WOLF!AU - SEKAI, BAEKYEOL, LAYHAN]
> 
> [Ghost Light](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24366250/chapters/58764295): After Junmyeon’s life falls apart, he retreats to his family’s small home near Daegu. Sequestered in his little house on the hill, he soon finds himself acquainted with an odd mailman named Zhang Yixing. [THEATRE!AU - SULAY]


	2. Act I: Chapter I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT I: Baekhyun wanted to get into Yonsei, Jongdae wanted to sing, and Chanyeol was determined to make their last year of high school the best of their lives. 
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Chanyeol  
> Scene II - Chanyeol  
> Scene III - Jongin
> 
> FIRST APPEARANCE (EXO): Chanyeol, Baekhyun, Jongdae, Jongin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

“Dad’s in trouble.”

Chanyeol turned towards his little sister who kept her eyes focused on the traffic outside the bus window.

“Sooyoung…”

“Don’t lie to me. I’m not stupid.”

He reached over to brush stray strands of hair behind her ear as she wiped the remaining tears away from her eyes. The bus continued to inch along in rush hour traffic. They were the only students on the bus right now. The opening assembly, Chanyeol mused, must’ve already come and gone. 

“Please cheer up? For me?”

“They came to the apartment.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Promise me you’ll take me to work with you from now on,” she said, finally turning to face him.

The two of them were used to getting up early for school now. Chanyeol would wake up at four in the morning to organize the shelves and sort produce for the day at Mrs. Cha’s corner store. In return the old lady would pack him breakfast and enough money for the two of them to take the bus to and from school. He’d get back a little before six to wake up Sooyoung so they’d have enough time to make the long commute.

“I’ll… I’ll think about it, ok? I’ll think about it.”

“You better.”

Chanyeol looked up just in time to see her sticking a tongue out at him, a far cry from the distress she’d been in earlier. Sooyoung was stronger than she probably realized and Chanyeol was thankful for it. 

He checked the time again, grimacing as the day inched past ten. He could already hear Baekhyun’s nagging in his head.

Chanyeol and Baekhyun have been friends since they were in diapers, back when their parents both worked at the factories. Jongdae didn’t come into the picture until two years later - a fact that still made him jealous from time to time. Despite this, Chanyeol hadn’t told either of them when his dad lost his job eight months ago, when they moved to a different neighborhood six months ago, or when his mom walked out on them five months ago. He wasn’t exactly sure why and at times he felt guilty making Sooyoung swear to secrecy as well but he didn’t want anyone to pity him. Chanyeol had always been bad at asking for help.

At first Chanyeol was mad at his mother even though he knew his dad didn’t treat her right. She left saying she was going to her parent’s house in a suburb of Daejeon. His grandparents said that if she was on her way to see them, she never arrived. Every week for the first three months an envelope with no return address would show up on their doorstep addressed to him and his sister filled with enough money to take care of small expenses. The two of them assumed it was their mother looking out for them from wherever she was in her own way. However, no money had come for the past six weeks and his father’s gambling habits and wannabe luxurious lifestyle were starting to draw warnings from debt collectors.

Despite the fact that Chanyeol treated his sister like a baby, she was already in her last year of middle school and definitely wasn’t stupid enough to believe that everything was alright. But she trusted Chanyeol enough to take care of things including the men who busted the windows of their apartment - a warning for their father - after Chanyeol had already left for work that morning. He wasn’t there for Sooyoung. This day would eat at him for the rest of his life. He hugged his sister that much tighter before she ran up the steps to her school before turning to jog up the street to Sungji High.

Taking a deep breath once outside of the school gates, Chanyeol spotted a boy sitting on the school’s dirt soccer field smoking a cigarette with the infamous second year, Lee Taemin. The boy was tan with messy black hair, scruffed up canvas shoes, and seemed to be at complete ease next to Taemin: the boy everyone was afraid to talk to because his friends used to beat the shit out of everyone before the last of them graduated at the end of the previous term. Chanyeol was kind of hoping he’d be all alone now but it looks like the new kid is his first minion.

The tanned boy’s eyes shifted towards him momentarily, a deep, dark, unfocused brown that almost seemed to look right through him. Chanyeol quickly directed his gaze away from the pair and took a deliberate path to not get within earshot of their lazy looking conversation. 

He straightened up before opening the front door and put on a smile. He was finally a high school senior and this would be the best year ever no matter what.

***

“I can’t believe none of us are in the same section this year!” Jongdae whined, violently shoving rice into his mouth. The three of them met up during lunch at their usual spot in the back corner of the cafeteria close enough to the trash cans for people to avoid but far enough to not be completely bothered by the smell.

“I’m in the honors section,” Baekhyun mumbled, “I didn’t even know they were going to make an honors section. I don’t want the teaching to be unequal. I don’t want anyone to fall behind.” 

“Newsflash Baek, we’re _already_ behind. At least the school is putting in effort for those of your caliber,” Jongdae said seemingly unburdened by the implications. “Who knows, maybe Taeyeon actually making something of herself inspired the faculty what with the charity cram school they’re doing now.”

“You might be starting behind but you won’t end that way. I’ll drag you right across the finish line with me Kim Jongdae, even if I have to do it by the skin of your teeth.”

Chanyeol watched the two of them, grinning as Baekhyun jabbed the end of his chopsticks into Jongdae’s chest to drive his point home.

“And you too, Park Chanyeol,” Baekhyun continued now doing the same to him before concern seeped back onto his features. “You were already late on day one. I thought something bad might’ve happened but you look to be in one piece.” 

Chanyeol leaned back in his chair and pushed his empty lunch tray away, conjuring up what he thought to be his signature smile.

“Nah. Don’t get me wrong, this morning was a disaster with me _and_ Sooyoung oversleeping. Of course it was today of all day she… well… she got her period for the first time. Chaos and panic.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened in horror as Jongdae doubled over in laughter. With as many sisters as Jongdae had, he probably knew exactly the type of scenario Chanyeol was talking about even if it was a lie.

“Well don’t you two worry. I’ll make sure to teach you everything that goes on in my section. I swear on my father’s grave!” 

Before long their lunch period came to an end and as they parted ways Chanyeol let the smile leave his face, a mounting sense of dread building in his gut at the thought of taking his sister back home.

***

Taemin and Jongin sat at one of the plastic tables in front of a nearby convenience store, empty bowls of ramen forgotten as they picked through the pile of candy Taemin bought on impulse.

“But like I was saying,” the elder continued biting off the head of a chocolate teddy bear, “it’s really not that hard to manage. Minho and Yonghwa usually tell us everything we need to know like where to meet and stuff. For people who become problematic this older guy named Yoochun will take the lead. At worst we just rough them up a little and every two weeks we meet up at the club and get paid. Minho said once you get out of school the money gets better too.”

Jongin twisted a gummy worm around his finger, ankles rotating in circles on the cement, chapped lips squeezed between his teeth.

“I don’t know Tae… I was hoping I could get into something a little more… honest? I’ve still got six months probation.” Taemin pushed him on the shoulder a bit, smiling.

“Come on, that’s not the Kai I used to know!” 

The two of them had been kind of wild as little kids. They busted out of the foster care system when they were twelve and hopped onto the first bus they saw heading into Seoul. They stole for a living: picked pockets, sold bikes, took the tires off of cars, until one day Jongin got caught and earned himself eight months in juvie. Taemin learned pretty quickly that they couldn’t continue the way they were and soon became acquainted with an eccentric yet concerned bartender named Kim Heechul in the back alley of a club called Mirotic where him and Jongin used to pick things off of drunkards. Heechul was probably the only reason he wasn't reported to the gang for causing trouble in their territory since he caught him in the act and _still_ let him keep the money. If only Jongin had been so lucky.

Somehow news of Taemin and his bratty but determined attitude made its way from Heechul to the club owner, Kim Jaejoong, to an intimidating but fair man named Jung Yunho, son of the right hand man of a gang called Phantom. Yunho took Taemin off the streets and put him into a cramped and cozy apartment with a kid named Choi Minho, a rising senior at the high school Taemin was informed he’d be attending at the start of the next term. Despite everything, Yunho apparently valued education.

Taemin had food, shelter, money, and friends so by the time it was time for Jongin to get out he convinced Minho to pick him up and bring him in as well. That was about a month ago and Taemin had spent the entire time trying to convince his younger friend to take the same path he had. Jongin had met some members of Phantom and said they made him feel uneasy but Minho’s generosity could only go so far for an outsider and Taemin was getting desperate. The two of them knew what it was like to be hungry, knew what it was like to be sick, and above all knew what it was like to be targets of people out there who were far worse than they were. Jongin still suspected Taemin was keeping secret the sort of things he went through during his months alone.

“You never said if there was any sort of,” Jongin searched for the right word, “initiation process? Stealing is one thing, but hurting people is another. It might start like this, Taemin, but it could escalate to something far more dangerous.” Jongin saw Taemin do that thing with his eyes, like a very quick glint of something took over. Jongin was good at reading people but when it came to his friend he only ever saw the best so he could hardly ever catch Taemin in a lie. Taemin, on the other hand, could read him like a book with a large, glowing, neon font. 

“Initiation process? Not really." The glint was back again. "I swear Yunho is really nice. He won’t make you do anything that makes you uncomfortable. Even if there are people in Phantom who do bad things, that will never be us. They have legitimate businesses too. If we stick around long enough maybe we could get into those but people like us can’t play by the rules all the time. You know that.” Taemin knew he won when Jongin ran his hands through his hair and sighed.

“I do owe Mr. Jung for the books I guess…”

“And?” Taemin urged on.

He would regret this.

“And maybe I could follow you and Minho one day just to see what it’s like,” Jongin said. 

Taemin hugged his friend until he started grumbling death threats. Taemin knew he’d come around. They promised long ago that whatever they’d face, they’d face it together.


	3. Act I: Chapter II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT I: Baekhyun wanted to get into Yonsei, Jongdae wanted to sing, and Chanyeol was determined to make their last year of high school the best of their lives. 
> 
> CHAPTER POV:  
> Scene I - Baekhyun  
> Scene II - Jongin  
> Scene III - Baekhyun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Baekhyun knew love from the womb. Even if his parents never had much, they kept him even when they couldn’t afford to; worked day and night so he wouldn’t have to. They were honest people. It was a factory accident that killed his father. A “freak accident,” they called it - days before his tenth birthday and things hadn’t been the same since.

But romantic love? That Baekhyun learned about through top 40 radio. The portable radio he owned used to belong to his father and he’d carry it around with him as he made him and his mom’s tiny home as clean and welcoming as possible. Today he had it with him while staring into the bathroom mirror, pulling his comb through his hair once again and puffing his chest out, holding the small and neatly wrapped present in his hands. He checked his smile, his jacket for dust, and his breath.

Still minty. Perfect.

He first set eyes upon Taeyeon at the beginning of middle school, spotting her in the cafeteria two or three weeks in. Even back then she was intimidating, scary, ridiculously smart, ethereal, angelic, and above all: untouchable. The more he learned about her through word of mouth, the more his heart soared for the clouds even though he’d yet to have an actual conversation with her.

Not only was Taeyeon perfect on her own, she was an inspiration for her friends too. They all got good marks in school and were always at the top of their class. Growing up, Baekhyun didn’t have many aspirations. He wanted to help people but he didn’t know how. He wanted his mom to smile again, wanted her to be in a safer neighborhood, wanted to put food on the table himself for once. 

But Taeyeon? She was in a league of her own. Baekhyun hadn’t even _heard_ of Yonsei University before rumors spread during his freshman year at Sungji that Taeyeon had taken a tour of this wondrous, elite place. Word eventually spread like wildfire: Taeyeon was going to Yonsei, Taeyeon was going to become a doctor, Taeyon was going to become the beacon of hope for Sungji High School - one of the worst performing schools in Seoul. But even the teachers who adored her didn’t entertain such goals as fellow students had. When Taeyeon accomplished everything she said she would, Baekhyun wasn’t surprised. And in that moment Baekhyun knew he would never love anyone as much as he loved Taeyeon. 

They hadn’t even made it past the main road when Jongdae lost it and burst into laughter behind the wheel.

“Shut up Jongdae, can’t you see I’m a nervous wreck right now?” The two of them were on the way to Chanyeol’s house, their last stop before heading to Taeyeon’s birthday party, her first return to the neighborhood since starting her new life. No invitation was required since it was in the park but you'd probably have to get past Jessica if you wanted to sit at the same picnic table as her. 

“What did you get Taeyeon anyway? I don’t see a present taking up the entire back seat. Not quite meeting my expectations.” Baekhyun blushed.

“You’ll see.”

They pulled over on the corner where Chanyeol’s house was and honked a little bit too obnoxiously, deciding to call Chanyeol after they sat there for five minutes with no response and multiple glares from passerby. Just as his phone went to voicemail, the two of them spotted Chanyeol sprinting at them from the opposite direction.

“Sorry,” he said, gulping down air as he slammed the back door of the car shut, “I had to run to the store.”

“Isn’t the store the other way?” Baekhyun asked scanning Chanyeol from head to toe. “And did you not find what you were looking for?” Chanyeol wasn’t carrying any bags.

“Oh, uh, no. It wasn’t that important. I just lost track of time. There’s another store over there. I only went because the closer one didn’t have what I wanted either.” 

Any further questions were interrupted by Jongdae launching into theories about Baekhyun would manage to embarrass himself today.

***

Taemin dragged Jongin through the back door of Mirotic. The entire area was almost completely empty since none of the local businesses had opened up for the night but scattered around inside were what Jongin assumed to be various members of Phantom after Taemin explained that it was payday. 

Behind the bar was Heechul, whom he had met before, speaking to their roommate Minho and a tall guy he didn’t know. Minho spotted them first and waved.

“Took you long enough, Tae. Yunho should be here soon but I heard Mr. Kim will be stopping by too.” 

Taemin’s face darkened.

“Oh. That sucks.” He turned to Jongin. “Mr. Kim is like… third in command below Mr. Lee and Mr. Jung, Yunho’s dad. It’s pretty rare to see any of the three of them, but,” Taemin lowered his voice, “Mr. Kim is kind of a nasty guy. Don’t approach or speak to him if you can help it. It’s Yunho’s job to review and pass potential recruits anyway. I don’t even think Mr. Kim knows I exist.”

“I think Mr. Kim is only coming because of Jaejoong’s supposedly lackluster performance,” Heechul piped in. “Of course Jaejoong’s performance has been fine, Mr. Kim just hates his guts.” Jongin stayed silent. He wasn’t planning on making friends with any of these people if he could help it. The tall man didn’t seem too interested in speaking to him at least.

“Taemin, I don’t think you’ve met Changmin yet,” Minho said, gesturing to the stranger. He turned his head a little bit in acknowledgement. “He lives with Yunho but he doesn’t hang around here much. You know how protective he can be.”

“Minho…” Changmin grumbled.

“He’s on the pre-law track at Korea University.” Jongin looked up at him in awe. As of that moment, Changmin was probably the smartest person he’d ever set his eyes on. “He’s kind of like Phantom’s princess. Yunho and Jaejoong dote on him way too much for him to be your average third wheel.” Changmin glared daggers into Minho’s skull but the younger laughed it off. 

“I prefer to think of myself as the voice of reason. Nice to meet you Taemin, and…” 

“This is Jongin!” Jongin bent into a deep bow. 

“And that,” Heechul said, head nodding towards the door, “is Mr. Kim Youngmin and Jung Yunho.”

The group of them turned around and Jongin’s eyes landed on a tall man with dark skin and almond shaped eyes. His shoulders were wide and the suit he wore was definitely tailored. An older man was walking with him looking abnormally average considering he was a high ranking mobster. His hair was swept to one side, beginning signs of hair loss evident. 

The people who lined up to greet him were ignored but his eyes locked on a pretty looking man who had just emerged at the bottom of the staircase leading to the club’s first balcony. Jongin assumed that this person must be Jaejoong. Mr. Kim followed him back up the stairs and through a door before Yunho cleared his throat and told everyone to get back to their own conversations. He spotted Jongin and headed towards their group first.

“You must be Kim Jongin, Taemin’s friend?” he asked. Yunho had seemed a lot scarier when he walked in but up close he was very cheerful. They shook hands.

“Yes sir. Thank you for allowing me to go to school.”

“Everyone should get the chance to learn. Changminnie can’t be the only smart person around!” Jongin was shocked when Changmin directed what seemed to be his default glare at Yunho who shuddered and chuckled just like Minho had. “I’m not sure if you knew, but Changmin doesn’t take compliments very well. I know you’re just getting acquainted with life outside again, but I’d like you to stick with Taemin and Minho for now since you live with them. They’ll show you the ropes. You seem like a good kid and I hope you go far in life.”

Yunho accepted a drink from Heechul after giving each of them varying sums of cash, and left after telling Changmin to wait with another man upstairs. 

“See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Taemin wrapped his arm around Jongin’s shoulders.

“I suppose not. When’s the first job anyway?”

“Tonight.” Minho smiled, fingers flipping through the bills in his hands. “Just watch and learn.”

  
  


***

  
  


It doesn’t matter if you ever went to school with her or not, lots of people knew of Taeyeon. Her beauty alone made it so she even had her own online following. So when they pulled up to the park and Baekhyun mostly spotted current and former students of Sungji, he was a bit surprised. But this was fine. Maybe now he could fully lay out his goals to the young woman.

It still took him the better part of the afternoon to work up the courage to approach her, however, and the crowd had thinned considerably by the time Baekhyun stood up on shaky legs checking with both Jongdae and Chanyeol for the third time that there was no stray icing on his face. It was getting late and the temperature of the day was dropping back down along with the sun. 

“Taeyeon?” he began hesitantly once he was close enough.

She was sitting at the central-most picnic table with Jessica on one side and a large teddy bear on the other. In front of her was a small mountain of gifts and mementos. Despite her surroundings, she seemed oddly pensive.

“Byun Baekhyun, right?” she asked. Baekhyun nodded quickly. “I always saw your name in the class rankings. Way ahead of everyone else except… Kyungsoo?”

“Yes, that’s right. Do Kyungsoo.” Her eyes dropped from his face to where his hands clutched his small present. “It’s a pencil case,” he blurted out. “With your initials on it. I hope that when you study, you’ll use it knowing that another Sungji student will be joining you next year at Yonsei.”

Taeyeon raised an eyebrow at him.

“And that would be you?”

“Absolutely.”

Jessica stood up and took the present from his hands, adding it to the far side of the pile. 

“Well know that it’s not just about getting in, it’s about succeeding once you’re there.”

“Of course. I’ve never not been successful in academics.”

“I’m not just talking about academics,” she said. “Sungji, this neighborhood,” she paused looking past his shoulder back at Jongdae and Chanyeol, “your friends, even your parents. People in that part of Seoul won’t accept you for it.” To that, Baekhyun wasn’t quite sure what to say, so he said nothing. “Either way, you won’t see me coming back here again after today. But if you do get in, maybe I’ll see you around… Byun Baekhyun.” 

His friends looked at him expectantly as he walked back over to their table.

“So, how did it go?” Chanyeol asked.

Baekhyun zipped up his jacket and sat down, not really knowing what he was feeling.

“We talked. She knows who I am.” 

“Great. Much better than Chanyeol,” Jongdae said.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Chanyeol said, eyes going wide. 

“I’m talking about that cute boy you’ve been drooling over all week at school.” 

Chanyeol blushed. Baekhyun looked confused.

“Why haven’t you told us about him Channie?” Baekhyun asked. 

Part of Baekhyun felt bad for the way Chanyeol was now turning beet red, but he was glad to turn the attention away from Taeyeon, at least for a moment so he could process.

“I’ve seen the kid,” Jongdae chimed in, “he hangs around Lee Taemin. Looks like they’re buddies.” 

Baekhyun now looked sharply at Chanyeol. 

“Park Chanyeol! You can’t go hanging around people like that! Absolutely nothing good can come of it!”

Chanyeol reached over and clapped his hands to Baekhyun’s mouth, their table drawing the attention of passersby. 

“I’m not hanging out with him ok? I don’t even know if I like him. I don’t even know his name. I just think he’s interesting.”

“Yeah, _really_ interesting. What makes you so interested?” 

“Nothing," Chanyeol said defensively, "I just think he’s interesting.”

“He’s bad news, Chanyeol. Plus you don’t have any time for this type of stuff. Didn’t you say you really wanted a scholarship for college? We should all be putting our focus on our studies, not getting close to people who already don’t have a chance.” He then turned to face Jongdae. “Jongdae, you should fill out some scholarship forms too. Chanyeol and I research some everyday after school.”

Jongdae ignored the question at first and the three of them fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, picking idly the cracks in the table. 

“I’m actually thinking about not going to college,” Jongdae said flicking a stray pebble off the table. “Oh don’t look so surprised Baekhyun, I’m not a complete idiot but books obviously aren’t my thing. My grades are virtually unsalvageable and that cram school program knocks me out in five minutes flat.” Baekhyun was speechless, so Chanyeol seemingly decided to step in.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? You could at least go to a vocational school. How do you plan to support yourself?”

“I’ve been trying to find part time gigs as a performer,” Jongdae said with a smile. “People seem to like my voice and I like to perform so… maybe I could be a singer or something.” 

Baekhyun sighed.

“There’s always a performing arts school for that stuff, Jongdae. You can’t just _not_ go to college.”

“Yes, Baekhyun, I _can_ just not go to college. I won’t be the only one and I won’t starve on the streets. Don’t you get that college just might not be for everyone? Have you ever asked me what I really wanted in life or have you just been assuming I’ll follow you around wherever you go?”

Baekhyun sat up straighter as if his strengthened posture would make Jongdae’s words hurt less.

“But what about your parents? There’s no way they’ll go along with this!” he fired back.

“And since when did my parents ever give a shit about anything I do, huh? At least they’ve opened their eyes enough to see that I’m not college material!”

Baekhyun winced, beginning to feel defeated.

“You promised me you’d work hard. You _promised me_. I just don’t want you to be a failure…” he whispered. 

Jongdae stood up.

“I’ve done nothing but fail my entire life and it’s about time I find something I’m good at. I’m taking the car back. Are you guys coming now or later?”

Chanyeol quickly began grabbing his things as Jongdae was already storming out of the park. 

“He’ll cool off,” Chanyeol said, “he always does.” 

And with that Chanyeol ran after Jongdae and Baekhyun was alone.


	4. Act I: Chapter III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT I: Baekhyun wanted to get into Yonsei, Jongdae wanted to sing, and Chanyeol was determined to make their last year of high school the best of their lives. 
> 
> CHAPTER POV: 
> 
> Scene I - Baekhyun  
> Scene II - Jongin  
> Scene III - Jongdae

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Baekhyun stood on the edge of the factory housing lot, a sea of three story buildings, flat rooftops, and wiry fences. It’s the only home he’d ever known. It never occurred to him to be ashamed of any of it, not with the people or the community. But just the knowledge that there was more than this out there, anywhere. Why would someone reject all of that to stay? What truly good opportunities were in a place like this? 

Jongdae had three younger sisters. He could be the one to show them the possibilities. And Jongdae had _promised him_. He’d promised. But now Baekhyun could not understand. He could never handle people being upset with him very well and while he’d had some explosive spats with Jongdae over the years, this time instead of annoyance or anger or frustration, he was filled with anxiety. Wasn’t it now or never? 

But all the same, these modest homes, Sungji High’s well worn halls, the park, the abandoned takoyaki food truck near the overpass that streamlined travelers deeper into Seoul - this was all he knew and it terrified him. It terrified him because while he wanted Yonsei so badly, he didn’t know if he’d have the courage to do it if he had to leave everything and everyone behind. 

At his home, Baekhyun was greeted with the increasingly familiar sound of sex from inside the walls of his mother’s work bedroom. He slipped his sneakers off beside the shoes of a stranger, eyes lingering momentarily on the smoothe brown leather. Inside the family private bedroom, he laid out both his and his mother’s bedrolls. 

Behind him a clock ticked on the wall and his eyes were still irritated from the tears he’d shed on the long walk home. His mind was buzzing a mile a minute in a dozen different directions so much it began to ache and in his chest it felt like his heart was trying to match that same speed. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall.

“Pikachu, Calebi, Eevee, Snorlax, Ditto, Gardevoir, Charizard, Charmander, Squirtle, Mewtwo, Gengar…” he muttered under his breath, hands tensing around his ankles. “Please, please, please, please, oh god, p-please…” 

“Oh, Baekhyun! You’re home?” His eyes shot open and he focused in on his mother standing in the doorway, robe pulled tightly around her small body. “Good now well you take this,” she continued shuffling over to him and kneeling down. From her robe pocket she pulled out a small stack of bills, pulling a few from the top. “Take this and get groceries. Ingredients for that jjigae you like for tomorrow, hm?”

Baekhyun gently took the money, shrinking back at the smell of alcohol like he always did these days. By the time he got his mother tucked in and settled, the unfamiliar shoes by the door were gone and he sat for a moment beside the gravel road, hands shaking, breath still catching. 

He would talk some sense into Jongdae. He had to. 

  
  


***

Jongin was used to operating under the cloak of night. He felt so much more comfortable in his skin under the moon than under the sun and having Taemin right there with him made it that much better.

He had been really nervous when they first set out that night going through three cigarettes one after the other. Jongin managed to kick the nasty habit for close to a year once he realized how much money he spent on the things and didn’t want to get into fights with other inmates over them when he was locked up but the second Taemin came back into his life he started lighting up again. There was plenty of money to go around now.

Soon enough he knew he had been worrying over nothing. He set out with Taemin and Minho to meet up with Yonghwa and a man named Yesung outside of a nondescript office building. They travelled to various places around Seoul that night lingering in some places more than others, but he’d wait with Taemin outside in the hallway, lobby, or on the street with the simple instructions to look out for trouble and to not let anyone interrupt what was going on inside. 

Yonghwa seemed like a nice guy actively trying to converse with Jongin, asking about school and gossiping about things he’s overheard at Mirotic. When he asked Yonghwa why people seemed to be wary of Mr. Kim, Yonghwa explained how Mr. Kim and Mr. Lee had been involved in an underground war on opposite sides back in the 1990’s that ended up getting a lot of media attention. It resulted in a lot of arrests and even more deaths but above all it resulted in Mr. Lee taking over Phantom and bringing Mr. Kim on with him. Ever since then, Kim Youngmin never showed much respect for the others in Phantom. He was always sore about the fact that Mr. Lee Sooman placed the elder Jung above him, and by the time Yunho joined their ranks he was all too eager to let the kid know he didn’t approve of him.

“Yunho is very slow to anger,” Yonghwa explained, “but Jaejoong is a firecracker and he doesn’t let anyone talk shit about Yunho, not even Mr. Kim.”

When Jongin asked how he knew all of this, Yonghwa rolled his eyes.

“Heechul of course.”

Yesung was very different from Yonghwa. Older, scarier, and colder, Yesung seemed to know people wherever they travelled that night. Jongin suspected that behind closed doors Yesung did all of the talking while Minho and Yonghwa became the quiet ones. Jongin decided that he wouldn’t get too close with Yesung.

Their last stop of the night took a while to get to even by car way out in a confusing arrangement of shabby looking apartment buildings. The streets were oddly silent. 

Taemin and Jongin stood on either side of the entrance to an alleyway that led up the steps to another block of apartments. The other three began to walk away until Yesung paused.

“New kid.” 

Jongin turned around.

“Yes?”

“This place is a ghost town. Come with us on this one, Taemin can handle himself.” 

Jongin hesitated before Taemin shoved him forward a bit with his elbow and he soon followed them, too nervous to be annoyed at the unnerving grin Yonghwa was giving him.

The apartment was on the seventh floor but judging by the way Yesung didn’t even glance at the rickety looking elevator before they began their ascent, the stairs were the better of the two options. On an average day Jongin would’ve complained, but blood was pumping in his ears, adrenaline making his insides buzz much too loudly for such a quiet night.

Yesung knocked on the door. He waited.

Knocked again.

“Mr. Park, you know we have business tonight. Please answer the door.”

As they waited for a few more moments, Jongin noticed that the windows on either side of the door were shattered, covered with tarp and some narrow planks of wood.

Eventually, Minho motioned for Jongin to move back.

“Mr. Park, it's getting very late. We need to discuss business urgently,” Yesung called out again.

The sound of furniture shifting towards the door made the eldest frown. He nodded to Yonghwa who looked a little bit too excited to kick the door in.

From the moment the apartment was breached, Jongin didn’t know what to do so he took Minho’s advice from earlier that day: watch and learn.

Within seconds Yesung had a gun pointed at a middle aged man wearing huge glasses and grease-stained nightwear. His face was unshaven, hands gripping a broom. 

“Mr. Park, if you put that down right now I’ll pretend none of this ever happened and we can talk like civilized, adult men,” Yesung said, voice as quiet and even as it always was despite the darkness in his eyes. 

The apartment reminded Jongin a little bit of the hole him and Taemin used to squat in but dirty. Everything was dirty and amongst the dirt were expensive electronics, dishes, art pieces, watches, shiny junk, and more. Jongin looked at the family portrait hanging above the couch, eyes landing on a family of four all with huge grins, smiling eyes, and garish matching sweaters. The boy in the picture looked the oddest but something about him was familiar.

“I have the money. Some of it. I can get at least half of it for you in a month!”

“Last week you said you’d get me just a quarter of what you owe, Mr. Park. That would be something like… lets see… forty-two million won? How much do you have for me today?”

Mr. Park dropped the broom, going over to a box and dragging out an envelope. 

“Just… three-hundred and twenty thousand… but think of this as covering the interest! Please, I promise I’ll have at least half by this time next month, maybe even all of it.”

“And what should I do if I hear about you spending some of those millions in a casino? A brothel? On horses? On…” Yesung looked around, “useless junk? I’d say if you sold everything in this apartment you _still_ wouldn’t have enough. What should we do about this, Mr. Park?” 

The man fidgeted. 

“I’ll… I can… I can work for you. You won’t have to pay me at all until I make up the amount I owe!”

Yesung’s face scrunched up like he smelled something foul. 

“My boss would have no use for you.” Yesung circled around the man until he was near the portrait on the wall. “How about this? How about we up the stakes and as a token of gratitude I give you more time?” He pointed to the picture. “How about in one month you give me the fifty million won you now owe or I kill you? In two months,” Mr. Park started to whimper, “your son will give me seventy-five million won or I take this apartment. In three months your son will give me one-hundred million won or I will take his sister. In four months your son will give me one-hundred and fifty million won or I will kill his sister and sell her body parts on the black market. How about in five months your son will give me two-hundred million won or… well I’ll let you use your imagination. Mr. Park, I just gave your family five extra months. Do we have a deal?” 

Mr. Park flinched away when Yesung stepped a little bit closer, eyes darting back and forth.

“Please…” he said, “give me just… two more months? No, six weeks. I ask you for six weeks. Please… ” 

The older man cried out as he was knocked to the floor and on either side of Yesung, Yonghwa and Minho began to close in on him.

“Very well then. In _two week_ s I’ll expect _sixty_ million won from your hand to mine, Mr. Park.”

***

Just as Jongdae walked up to the front door of Super Junior’s, an out of the way club on the far side of the industrial zone where many parents of Sungji students worked, another man was being tossed out by two bouncers and onto the pavement. Intoxicated, the man mumbled a few curses before stumbling his way down the street.

“Exciting night already?” Jongdae asked, tipping his cap to the bouncer he did know - Johnny.

“Not really, all things considered. But there’s only so much I can know stationed out here,” the young man responded as the second bouncer returned back to his post inside. “Better than being put by the kitchen. I can breathe out here and won’t be tempted to swipe something off the wrong person’s plate if you know what I mean.” 

Jongdae rolled his shoulders, took a deep breath himself, and looked up momentarily at the foggy night sky.

“Well it’s about to get loads more exciting, I can guarantee you that.”

“Whatever you say, Chen. Whatever you say.”

Johnny moved aside to let him in, and immediately Jongdae was absorbed into a decent sized crowd. A few people recognized him and as he made his way through the club his eyes landed on a handsome man he’d seen here a number of times now. _Siwon_ , that’s what Johnny had called him the last time he’d visited. Siwon raised the glass he was holding in acknowledgement before leaning over to catch the bartender’s attention. 

Jongdae could feel himself blushing slightly, the aloof man, the atmosphere of the club, and the knowledge that he was an entirely different person here giving him an emotional high he couldn’t reach anywhere else.

These days he only felt like he was truly worth something when he sang at Super Junior’s. In the months since he’d found the place, the house band grew to know him and he could get wasted and jump up on stage whenever he pleased. Around here nothing else mattered: not Baekhyun, not Chanyeol, not even Jongdae. Because here the only person that existed was Chen and no one was going to hold Chen back.


	5. Act I: Chapter IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT I: Baekhyun wanted to get into Yonsei, Jongdae wanted to sing, and Chanyeol was determined to make their last year of high school the best of their lives. 
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Chanyeol  
> Scene II - Baekhyun  
> Scene III - Jongin
> 
> FIRST APPEARANCE (EXO): Kyungsoo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

It was odd the way the chaos of the emergency room resounded like dull pulses in Chanyeol’s ears. It was like being in limbo, an eerie calm waiting for the other shoe to drop. And it would, sooner or later. 

Shortly after midnight he got the word from a nurse that their father was being moved to another area of the hospital. Sooyoung hadn’t said a word to anyone since she called the ambulance hours ago, the supplies she was helping Chanyeol carry back from the store clattering to the ground as she rushed to the man’s side. Before that, Chanyeol had managed to make her laugh, theatrically detailing just how he was planning to patch up their broken windows a bit better. That had all changed at the sight of their front door kicked in and splintering. 

He wondered how many times Sooyoung had screamed his name before he focused on her and their unmoving father, eyes finally leaving the destruction that had befallen their entire apartment. Once again, he had failed her.

And now standing next to his father’s bed, the other shoe did drop. Sixty million won in two weeks or they were done for. All of them. One by one.

“Dad?” he pushed again after he was met with silence. “What’s our plan? How much money do we have?”

The man’s thick and shaggy hair was just as disheveled as it always was these days but everything appeared more pathetic under harsh hospital lights, his skin a sickly hue, heart monitor betraying his stern expression. 

“You got us into this with no way to get us out?” Chanyeol continued. Outside the ward, Sooyoung was waiting for him. She didn’t want to see the older man like this. “You really haven’t got a thing to say,” he said, voice rising.

“There’s nothing _to_ say. I just need more time,” his father muttered, still staring straight ahead. 

“We’re out of time! You know that!”

“So leave me here. That’s what you want to do.”

“You know I can’t do that.”

“But you _want_ to.”

“No, I don’t.”

They’d cleaned the blood off his face but Chanyeol could see the new gaps in his teeth. Both eyes were bruised, one swollen completely shut. He’d counted three broken fingers but the majority of the damage had obviously been to his legs.

“You know what I gave those thugs today? All I had left of that money your Ma’s been trying to sneak you.” As he said it, a small flicker of longing flashed across his eyes.

“You’ve been taking it,” Chanyeol said. In any other circumstance he would’ve been more relieved to know his mother was still thinking of him, hadn’t forgotten him. Those small envelopes had given him hope that someday things might return to normal for them. For him. For Sooyoung.

“Sure have been,” he huffed. “Come on. _Get angry._ You think you’re so much better than me but we’re the same. That’s why your Ma didn’t take you with her. You’ve got my loyalty in you too, loyalty to a wonman who tossed you aside to fuck another man and run off. Maybe she’ll show her face here after we’re all dead to pretend she ever cared in the first place, how about that? _I_ put everything into this family but it wasn’t enough for her. None of us were enough.”

“No!” Chanyeol shouted and if he didn’t know any better, he would’ve said the man flinched. “ _You_ gambled everything we had away or lost it at the end of a bottle. _You_ are a cruel and cowardly man and your wife left you for it. _You_ are a dishonest man and you were fired because of it. You pity only yourself, because you are selfish. But you are my dad and I love you. I won’t abandon you. Not now. Just like I haven’t abandoned mom, just like I’ll never abandon my sister.”

Silence fell between them again and with a sigh, Chanyeol began picking up the papers the nurse had given him to shove into his bag.

“They did a number on my legs,” his father said finally, “Doc says I might never walk the same.”

Chanyeol reached the hospital room door, hand pausing to rest on the handle.

“I’ll figure something out,” he said darkly, before walking out to face the world. 

***

Baekhyun sat at his usual spot in the cafeteria alone. It was Friday and he’d been alone here all week. His shoes were still soggy from multiple rainy days they’d had as he kicked the underside of the chair across from him. He took out his phone.

No new messages, no missed calls. 

Too anxious to eat, he’d spread out all of his textbooks on the table to make it seem less empty so maybe he’d feel less alone. He glanced over to where Jongdae was sitting, laughing with a scary kid named Zitao and a group of equally unsavory types he must’ve met in his own class section. 

How had so much changed in a week?

“Is this seat taken?” 

Baekhyun jumped in surprise, looking up into the face of Do Kyungsoo. The boy wore his usual amount of expressionlessness and held a large plastic container of what looked like pasta. Kyungsoo took a seat when he did not respond. 

“Do you want kimchi spaghetti?”

“What?” Baekhyun finally spoke up.

Kyungsoo held up the container.

“I made it myself.”

“Why are you offering me kimchi spaghetti?”

“Because I have extra.”

Taking his silence as a yes once again, Kyungsoo produced a bowl from seemingly out of nowhere watching what really looked to be kimchi spaghetti into the bowl and shoving it towards him with a pair of chopsticks. Baekhyun ignored it for a long time looking at his books instead.

“You answered a question wrong in physics today,” Kyungsoo pointed out. 

Baekhyun’s eyebrow twitched.

“And?”

“And getting a higher grade than you isn’t satisfying if you’re refusing to eat or sleep. It’s not a challenge to score higher than a zombie.”

With Chanyeol not coming to school all week and Jongdae determined not to talk to him, Baekhyun realized that besides Chanyeol and Jongdae he never really talked to anyone. 

So he ate the spaghetti. 

“Those two idiots you usually hang with seem pretty intent on avoiding you.”

Baekhyun didn’t answer.

“And you seem pretty intent on being a baby about it instead of actually approaching them.”

Baekhyun flipped a page of his textbook too quickly, ripping the page of practice problems by accident. He cursed.

“And if I had a friend who didn’t show up to school and couldn’t be contacted for a week, I’d be more worried than pissed off.”

Kyungsoo reached out to place his hand on Baekhyun’s wrist, stopping him from his work.

“And if I was really worried I’d quit trying to call him and go to his house instead.” 

***

Jongin could not remember his life before Taemin. From what he was told, he had always been quiet, keeping to himself, but polite. Always polite. 

When Jongin was six, Taemin was seven and to Jongin who had only ever known the orphanage, Taemin might as well have been an alien. Taemin had marched into Jongin’s room early in the afternoon the day they met and told him if he just followed Taemin’s lead, he’d have a ticket out of that place. While Jongin was hardly unhappy, he was curious.

Taemin would do most of the talking when they were together and when the older kids didn’t like how Taemin was acting, Taemin would always snap right back at them. Jongin never did much but stand beside him, expressionless, but for some reason people thought Jongin was more terrifying than the other.

There were many things Jongin liked about Taemin: he liked how he was always a bit too blunt, how he’d push him out of his comfort zone, how he didn’t laugh at him when he cried, and how he always guided him. Without Taemin, Jongin would’ve had no one. He always thought that Taemin would’ve been much better off without him. There were a few times, even, when Jongin tried to push Taemin away so he would spend time with kids more similar to himself. But by the time the two boys were out on their own, Jongin couldn’t have been happier because Taemin was there with him.

There were many things Jongin didn’t like about Taemin as well: he would lie with the excuse that the ends justifies the means, he was sometimes just outright mean to people who weren’t Jongin, and behind his tough exterior, Taemin was fearful - just as much as Jongin. The two of them were always afraid and sometimes Jongin thinks that’s the only thing that truly kept them together all these years.

In a way it was Taemin’s fault that Jongin had been arrested. The boy had simply watched as it happened. Taemin had been feeling adventurous at the time so the two found themselves in a wealthy area near a place called the Twins Hotel where ladies walked around draped in diamonds and gold with puffy blood red lips held by men in fancy tuxedos wrapped in strong cologne. Stealing from these types was something Jongin was uncomfortable with and, as always, Taemin sensed it which is why he told Jongin to do it on his own. He said he’d be so happy if Jongin did this thing on his own because the boy had to _grow up_ and _growing up_ meant you’d have to be alone sometimes.

Jongin had a lot of time to think in the eight months he spent separated from Taemin. The people around him enforced the importance of education, of obedience, of knowing just how badly each and every one of them had messed up, and how they still had a chance to go about life the right way. 

But when Taemin appeared before Jongin the day he was released, Jongin wasn’t sure if he had changed or if Taemin had changed but something was definitely different between them. Taemin hugged him like he always did, his natural scent completely obscured by the thick smell of tobacco and alcohol hanging off his leather jacket, Minho standing behind him looking at Jongin as if he were gum that just got stuck under his shoe.

Jongin thought he still had a chance to fix his life, but he couldn’t do it alone.

He was too afraid.

It didn’t take a long time to realize all the ways Taemin had changed. He was louder, more aggressive, more eager to please others than simply do what pleased himself. He had goals, ill-directed ones, but he had them. Jongin had fancied the idea of going to college in those months of separation, but Taemin said that was out of his reach. Jongin had contemplated maybe working at a bookstore or library to make money because he learned that he loved to read. Taemin said that no one at a library would hire a criminal. Taemin told him they were above picking pockets. Taemin said they were at the door of the big leagues now. Taemin told him that kids like them couldn’t play by the rules to get ahead. Taemin said that if Jongin followed him, he’d be living the life before he knew it.

Jongin wasn’t sure if “ _the life”_ was what he wanted.

But Taemin wanted it. Taemin had been around this place longer than he had. Taemin must know what’s best so even if Jongin didn’t like the idea now, he knew he’d probably like it later and Taemin would laugh at him for ever being in doubt. 

Jongin changed his exterior to match Taemin’s new face virtually overnight. By the time the two walked shoulder to shoulder through the gates of Sungji High School, Jongin watched all of those second chances he used to want pass him by while sitting out on the soccer field inhaling the addictive smoke of camaraderie. 

“You know what Jongin? I didn’t _have_ to come back for you. You left me alone on the streets while you were all cooped up in that cozy playpen, getting free meals and eating up all the nonsense society _wants_ you to believe. Hell, if it weren’t for me, you’d still be wasting away up in that orphanage. So tell me Jongin, why the _fuck_ are you trying to mess things up right now? Not just for you, but for me, because you’re my responsibility!” 

They were in their apartment, Taemin standing with his arms crossed in front of a curled up Jongin on the couch.

“I just don’t want to go. What’s the big deal?” 

Taemin pulled his own hair in frustration.

“The big deal is when someone of a higher rank tells you to drag your ass down to Mirotic, you do it.”

Jongin had spent the better part of the week being disgusted with himself. Minho had lashed out at him more than once, but Minho never liked him to begin with. Taemin hardly ever raised his voice at him because there was usually never a reason to. Jongin rarely said no.

“I told you I’d tag along just once to see how it went. Have you ever seen what they do in there, Taemin? They crippled a man for life! He has a family, two kids, no money-”

“And if we just let fuckers walk away with Phantom’s money then we won’t have any either. You just don’t understand. I have to fucking teach you everything!”

Yesung had led Jongin into that apartment on purpose. Yesung thought he was some high school kid who didn’t know what he was getting himself into. Yesung was right.

Taemin had been watching him like a hawk all week trying to make sure he wouldn’t do something stupid. Jongin had refused to go back to Mirotic, refused to skip class with him, refused to work, and Minho was about to snap. Taemin knew the elder would only cover Jongin’s ass for so long before someone in the higher ranks realized their newest member wasn’t _adjusting_. 

“I just don’t want to do this. I want out. Why can’t we just find regular jobs?”

“No one will hire you with your record and if you don’t want in, it’s only a matter of time before Minho kicks you out.”

“And you’d let him do that?”

“Do I look like the boss around here to you?” Taemin was getting desperate.

After talking to Heechul on Wednesday night, Taemin found out that the higher ranking members of Phantom had drama of their own. Somehow Mr. Kim convinced Mr. Lee to put Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu under high watch on the grounds that they were interfering with Phantom affairs to increase their own gain. That was the only reason Yoochun was replaced with Yesung that night. But to get even Jaejoong pinned?

“You can imagine how pissed Yunho is. Jongin, everyone is being watched by Mr. Kim. Rumors are going around he’s trying to take Mr. Jung’s position. If you go acting up now you’ll only cause trouble for yourself. People don’t just get fired from Phantom, people can’t just quit Phantom. Do you get what I’m saying?”

“I get it,” Jongin said, looking at a map on his phone.

“Ok, then why the fuck are you saying you’re not coming tonight? We need to meet up with Minho and the others in half an hour!”

“Just tell them I’m not feeling well.”

“JONGIN!”

“Just this one time, Tae. It’s really important.” Jongin could feel his friend’s eyes still on him but no one could convince him to put off his plans for another day.

It had taken Jongin ages to remember where he had seen that face.

Those eyes, the floppy ears, and the grin of the boy in that ugly family photo. It was an old picture but he had seen that kid before. He tried to imagine the boy in the picture a little bit taller, maybe with a little more muscle because he had _seen_ him. 

He had seen him on the first day of school.

“I told you, Taemin. Stealing is one thing, but you’re thinking about just standing by and watching Yesung kill this man in front of his kids?” 

“Well, yeah. Even Yoochun had to do it sometimes. It’s just how the business works. And why do you even care?” Jongin put his phone in his jacket pocket, memorizing the subway and bus routes he had to take. It would take him over an hour to get back to that apartment.

Jongin had decided right away that he wouldn’t tell Taemin about the boy he had seen at school. The more Taemin hung out with Minho the less he felt like he could trust him no matter how much it hurt, no matter how much he just wanted to not feel alone.

“No. But I can’t ignore what I’ve seen. I was in there, you weren’t. I’m not going to sit by and watch two kids get orphaned.”

Sure it was kind of a low blow, but Jongin really needed his friend to get off his back. Taemin had never told him how he lost his parents and at this point Jongin just never asked. For a second it looked like Taemin was angry, but surprisingly his shoulders sagged and he grabbed his coat leaving Jongin behind without so much as a glance. Jongin waited five minutes before sprinting out the door.

Even with the help of public transportation, Jongin still had to walk thirty minutes on foot to get to the area where he remembers the apartment was. His plan was to wait until he saw the son come home. He’d intercept him before walking into the apartment since there was a chance the father would remember his face. 

After that he wasn’t sure what he’d do. Jongin couldn’t just give them sixty million won but he could help out. It was Friday night so he would still have all of Saturday and Sunday night to get money the old fashioned way plus the rest of the following week after or during school and this time he’d even be doing it for a good cause. Possibly. 

He leaned against the broken lamp post that was across the street from the alleyway Taemin had been guarding and waited.

It wasn’t until very late when he almost missed the person he had been looking for.

The boy was just as he remembered him if not a little bit more tired. He walked down the street whistling a tune, hands shoved stiffly into his pockets. He paused in front of the alleyway but kept walking after a few seconds before Jongin had a chance to reveal himself.

So he followed him.

About a ten minute walk down the road was a corner mart. An old lady was waiting out front even though the store was closed as if she was expecting the boy’s arrival. Once the two went inside, Jongin crept up to one of the windows.

“Are you going to finally tell me what’s been going on with you, Chanyeol?”

There was silence for a long time.

“Just…” he began, “just know that I’m running out of options,” he said. Jongin frowned when the two started to converse more quietly but about ten minutes later the old lady shouted.

“Sixty million won? Park Chanyeol!”

“No it’s not that bad. I’ve literally gone to everyone I know, sold everything I own but… I’m still short… by a little over forty million.”

“Chanyeol… I wish I could help more but…”

“It’s fine Mrs. Cha, I understand.” Jongin heard chairs moving.

“Just wait one second you little brat!” The woman laughed. A pause. 

“Mrs. Cha… this is too much!”

“For your situation it sounds like too little! I will need you to help out more at the store though once this is all over. Is that a problem?” The pair started to move, Jongin realized a little too late, because when the boy named Chanyeol and Mrs. Cha opened the door they were faced with a very suspicious looking boy crouched with his ear pushed up towards the crack in the window in the middle of the night.

Jongin jumped up and bowed so quickly his head started to spin.

Jongin could not remember his life before Taemin, could not remember doing things without Taemin, or keeping secrets from Taemin. Taemin was his link to the world, his brother, his only friend. Taemin showed him the only life he ever knew. 

When Chanyeol’s puffy eyes widened to the size of frisbees, the boy might as well have been an alien - an alien from the world of ugly sweaters and bright all slipping from his fingers because of an irresponsible father and a group of gangsters. But his concern for this boy and his family was not what brought him here. For the first time since he was six years old, Jongin was curious.

“Um… ” he said, “it sounds like you need some money?”


	6. Act I: Chapter V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT I: Baekhyun wanted to get into Yonsei, Jongdae wanted to sing, and Chanyeol was determined to make their last year of high school the best of their lives. 
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Chanyeol  
> Scene II - Baekhyun  
> Scene III - Chanyeol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

“It sounds like you need some money?”

Chanyeol was frozen where he stood, his arm automatically extending out to brace against the opposite door frame to keep Ms. Cha in her store. It faltered though as his head cleared, every muscle in his body still nonetheless coiled tightly. 

Anyone who knew him would agree that Chanyeol had a tendency to be one track minded. That’s why it had been days since he’d thought of things like school, his friends, or his life in general before his life got thoroughly derailed. It was all about selling everything in their home that could be salvaged, begging his maternal grandparents to take his father in, to get him started on his rehab process out by where they lived in Daejeon. He’d been looking for employment, something that could be quick money, with little success. He’d been trying not to cry in front of his sister after he found a week old eviction notice amongst the unpaid bills in his father’s things. And recently, he thought about where they could run away to, if they decided to run. How far would they have to go? How much of their family would they need to take with them? In his weakest moments, he thought of his mother. Did she know what was happening to them? Could she?

So the boy who had been tugging at his thoughts the entire first week of school hadn’t really been on Chanyeol’s mind at all ever since Taeyeon’s birthday party. But now Lee Taemin’s friend, the number two person everyone in Sungji avoided out of common sense, was here in this part of town in the middle of the night and it’s possible that he overheard everything. 

This stranger could know everything. 

His voice was a bit raspy and low and his hands were shoved into the pockets of his worn out jeans, shoulders hunched beneath an oversized dark mustard yellow sweatshirt that was fraying along the cuffs, gray beanie pulled over his ears, tufts of black hair sticking out from the edges. He was shivering.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” the boy said. His eyes wandered to the ground, right hand producing a cigarette and lighter from beneath the yellow fabric. The boy glanced at him briefly before flicking the lighter. “You go to Sungji?” he said after taking a few drags, visibly relaxing a bit. 

Mrs. Cha tugged on Chanyeol’s jacket, eyes inquiring if something was wrong. A shook his head from side to side and she turned and went back inside to head to her home above the shop. 

“Yeah.”

“You live out here?”

“Do you?”

“No…” the boy hesitated, “Do you need money or not?” He sounded like a combination of irritated and anxious, both things Chanyeol really didn’t want him to be. He put his hands up and managed to pull off an only somewhat awkward grin.

“No… I mean yes… it’s just that… hi, I’m Park Chanyeol. Yes, I go to Sungji. I think I’ve seen you around before.” In any other circumstance, he would have blushed at the understatement. The boy looked around.

“Kim Jongin.”

“Kim Jongin,” Chanyeol repeated. It was a nice name. He looked a lot like a Kim Jongin, whatever that meant. “You’re friends with Lee Taemin?” Jongin let the cigarette fall from his mouth to the ground, snuffing it out with his foot.

“What’s it to you?”

“Nothing.”

Silence. Jongin reached for his lighter again, hands shaking. He flicked it on and off and on then off again.

It was odd seeing Jongin not with Taemin. The only times Chanyeol had seen the boy alone was that one time in the bathroom and during class from the window. Thinking back, Chanyeol had never seen Jongin interact with anyone besides Taemin, hurrying across the schoolyard. Seeing Jongin now, at night, alone, and in his own neighborhood was different. He still had that intimidating edge to him because he was a tall kid and his eyes were deep with something unattainable, his complexion dark but at the same time there was something endearing about him, something almost cute the way his eyes looked at everything seemingly except Chanyeol himself for long moments. Looking down at Jongin’s shoes, Chanyeol saw the word “Kai” scribbled on the sides in thick red marker. 

“How much… how much are we talking?” Chanyeol asked after a while hoping the boy didn’t notice his stare. Honestly Chanyeol was surprised Jongin had stayed there for so long putting up with a weirdo like him. The corner of his mouth tilted up. 

“When do you need it by?”

“Next weekend.”

“How much you owe?”

“Thirty-nine million.” Jongin flinched, hands bunching up the edges of his sweatshirt sleeves before disappearing inside, tongue coming out to wipe across puffy lips. Chanyeol braced himself for rejection. 

“I can get you… ten million minimum… thirty max,” he said, kicking a pebble to the side like he was talking pocket change. 

“Ten… ten  _ million _ ?” The boy nodded. 

“Minimum.”

“Are you… you’re not gonna steal all that are you?”

“Do I look like a thief to you?” Jongin’s eyes met his straight on for the first time in their entire exchange, gaze somehow hot and cold and light and dark at the same time. Chanyeol bit his tongue.

“Why are you here? And what is this help going to cost me?”

“I know what it’s like to feel like you don’t have options,” Jongin said rolling his shoulders back and stuffing his hands back into his pockets, “So consider it a favor. You’re in a tunnel right now. Listen to me and I’ll get you out of it.”

***

By the time Monday rolled around again, Baekhyun was a mess.

_ “I’m not sure where they moved to, but we bought this house from the Park family around… I think it’s six months ago now.” _

Six months. As in the middle of junior year. As in Chanyeol had been hiding this from him since the middle of junior year.

Kyungsoo’s unsolicited advice ate away at him until he gave in Saturday night in the middle of his dinner and decided to make his way over to where he thought his best friend since the beginning of his existence lived.

It was drizzling lightly today, a welcome change from the absurd amount of rain they’d been having recently doing a number on the few flowers that grew on school property. Baekhyun still stood glued to the front gate of Sungji under the protection of his polkadot umbrella several minutes after classes for the day had already begun.

But his umbrella was quickly forgotten as Jongdae turned to head up the short path to the front gate. The two immediately met eyes but Jongdae’s neutral expression turned into a frown. Putting on the most confident front he could muster, Baekhyun marched forward down the dirt path until they stood only an arm’s length away. Jongdae rolled his eyes and began to walk past him and when Baekhyun quickly moved to block him, his friend shoved him out of the way.

“Kim Jongdae!” Baekhyun shrieked after him. “I don’t care what you think of me right now but I think Chanyeol is in trouble and I need you. I need your help. Please don’t walk away from me.”

To Baekhun’s relief, his friend stopped in his tracks, the anger he’d been arming himself with giving away to a sort of exhaustion. 

“What kind of trouble?”

“He hasn’t come to school all week. Have you noticed? I went to his house but-”

“But he’s not there,” Jongdae finished for him. Baekhyun faltered.

“You… you  _ knew _ ?” 

“I went by his house to check on him on Wednesday since I hadn’t seen him with you at school, but just as I got there I saw a couple I don’t know walking inside with their kid. Their car was the only one in the driveway. From that I just figured he moved.” Baekhyun blushed. Jongdae had known before he did.

“I only found out on Saturday. I stopped by to check on him too but the woman said he moved out six months ago.”

“Oh.” It was Jongdae’s turn to blush now. “I only stayed mad at you for so long because I thought he told you where he lived and not me.”

“Are you serious?”

“Well you two  _ have  _ been friends longer. I thought you just leave me out of the stuff that’s really important,” Jongdae said, face falling. Baekhyun scoffed.

“We’ve all known each other since we were four.”

“But you’ve known Chanyeol since you were two,” argued back as he often did.

“It makes a difference?”

“Of course it does!” 

“Honestly I don’t remember the day I met either of you but I’m sure you were behaving something similar to this.” The two boys jumped and turned around to face none other than Park Chanyeol, alive in the flesh. 

“Channie!” Baekhyun ran and trapped him in a bone crushing hug that Jongdae soon joined in on too.

“You, my friend,” Jongdae said, “have a lot of explaining to do.”

From the other side of their group hug, Baekhyun reached out and gently took Jongdae’s hand in his own. It wasn’t much of an apology, but in the way these things typically played out, it was uniquely them. 

***

The three friends were plopped down on a pile of pillows in Jongdae’s living room,  _ The Avengers  _ playing on mute in the background. Chanyeol told them everything - had planned to tell them everything the second he caught Jongin listening in on his conversation with Mrs. Cha. 

The two agreed to help him as much as they could. They would pitch in and they’d talk to others at Sungji they could trust, still keeping it as vague as possible upon Chanyeol’s request. While neither of them were very keen on the idea of Jongin offering his services, Chanyeol knew he could not be convinced otherwise. 

“When did that kid say he’d get you all of this money anyway?” Jongdae asked. He didn’t trust Jongin at all.

“He’ll get it on time. He’s the one who told me to go back to school and see how many people could pitch in as well.”

“But what about your dad and your sister?” Baekhyun asked. “Are they safe?” Chanyeol stretched his long legs until his heels dug into the carpeted floor.

“For now they are. I’d like it if… I don’t want Sooyoung to be there when it happens. She usually just hides in the bedroom. I’d much rather the collectors not run into her in person this last time as well. Neither of us have seen their faces which means they probably don’t know much about us either.”

“Sooyoung can stay here for the weekend,” Jongdae offered. “My mom adores her.”

This past week had been the hardest of Chanyeol’s entire life and some part of him still hadn’t quite come to terms with what was happening to him. Trying to solve everything on his own made everything even more hellish but now with his friends and Jongin maybe things would turn out ok. He wouldn’t let his father die. He wouldn’t let his sister be harmed either. Even if he managed to pull it off, their family would be left with nothing. 

Chanyeol looked to his friends as they continued to strategize and wondered what life would be like without them. It hurt. But he tried to imagine life without his family and it hurt even more. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OTHER STORIES BY UNUSUAL_TABLE
> 
> [Two Minutes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24045196/chapters/57859369): Jongin was born just two minutes after Kai. It took him a long time to realize he didn’t need to spend the rest of his life trying to catch up. [TWINS!AU - CHANKAI, SEKAI]
> 
> [Bound by Silver](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23604130/chapters/56642974): Master had three simple rules for Wolf to follow. The first was to never go beyond the fence. The second was to never speak to lodgers. The third was to never respond to the howl of the Mountain Spirits that could be heard on nights of the full moon. [WOFL!AU - SEKAI, BAEKYEOL, LAYHAN]
> 
> [Ghost Light](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24366250/chapters/58764295): After Junmyeon’s life falls apart, he retreats to his family’s small home near Daegu. Sequestered in his little house on the hill, he soon finds himself acquainted with an odd mailman named Zhang Yixing. [THEATRE!AU - SULAY]


	7. Act I: Chapter VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT I: Baekhyun wanted to get into Yonsei, Jongdae wanted to sing, and Chanyeol was determined to make their last year of high school the best of their lives. 
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Jongin  
> Scene II - Chanyeol  
> Scene III - Chanyeol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

The bright lights of Seoul’s shopping centers, night markets, and venues were just as vibrant as Jongin remembered except this time as he looked around him he thought of the life he could’ve had. Couples walked down the street hand in hand, a group of girls huddled together laughing at a witty remark. the shopkeepers welcomed all who passed enthusiastically, and exhausted office workers shared drinks. Someday. Maybe someday.

Each night he stole more than the one previous, the lectures he’d received from detention center social workers running on mute in the back of his mind. This time, he rationalized, he wasn’t stealing for himself. He was stealing so someone else wouldn’t have to become like him, die, or a brutal combination of the two. No, Park Chanyeol would succeed. He’d go to college, get a modest job maybe in sales, find a nice girl, and move to a quiet neighborhood. He’d grow old and thrive. If Jongin only ever ended up doing one good thing in his life, at least he’d have this. It should be making him feel less guilty but it didn't. 

Now that he was paying attention, he began seeing Chanyeol more often around school but by fifth period on Wednesday he decided avoiding the older student would make his life a lot easier. If Chanyeol was good at one thing, it was keeping a smile on his face. The difference between the Chanyeol at school and the Chanyeol he’d met outside the corner market was like night and day. At school, Chanyeol’s eyes would triple in size whenever spotting him by chance. He’d immediately rush over to him trying to start up a conversation earning a few confused looks from passersby and nervous expressions from his two friends. His gut twisted a little whenever the elder would give him a sympathetic smile and walk away after being met with stunned silence, but by the time Thursday rolled around he didn’t care. Every single night he’d stay out late snatching as much as he could off of people and his hours of sleep per night dwindled so much Jongin was surprised he hadn’t gotten caught.

Slowly the burn of shame that came from doing something that had been drilled into his head for eight months straight to never do again started to wane, but when he left school Friday afternoon after leaving a note on Chanyeol’s desk to meet him by the school gates the next day to collect the money, he knew his old methods wouldn’t quite get Chanyeol off the hook from Yesung and the others. This is what led him to Mirotic.

Jongin didn’t really have a plan but by the time he got to the front door, security moving out of his way already recognizing who he was, he decided on just asking Heechul.

“It’s pretty ballsy of you to be asking for money so soon even if you _are_ Taemin’s friend,” he said eyes sparkling with amusement. “If I didn’t know Yunho so well I’d tell you to not even try but he’s too nice for his own good even more so than his father.” After serving a few more patrons at the bar, Heechul slid back over to the corner where Jongin was perched on a wobbly stool.

“I know… but I just really need some help right now. I can pay it back.”

“Oh how many times I’ve heard men and women young and old say that. Yunho is here tonight… but so is Jaejoong. You better hope Yunho put him in a good mood or else you’re out of luck kid.” Heechul jerked his head towards the balcony stairs that Jongin knew led to a closed hallway at the end of which was Jaejoong’s office. “Shindong is up there too, probably sleeping, because Mr. Kim is still being a bitch wanting to keep an eye on Jaejoong in his own club.”

Sitting on a chair in the hallway was the man Jongin assumed to be Shindong sleeping just as Heechul had predicted. Nevertheless he took a deep breath before knocking on the door, an annoyed “come in” resonating from the other side.

On the couch was Yunho, Jaejoong all but wrapped around him, hands sliding up underneath his shirt. Jongin blushed answering Yunho’s wave with a deep bow. The two elders didn’t seem to mind being so intimate even in the presence of company.

  
“What can I do for you today Jongin?” Yunho asked brightly, hand reaching back to tangle into Jaejoong’s hair. Jongin averted his eyes.

“I know this is sudden and I know this will probably make you angry but I really need to borrow some money.” There was silence for a few moments before Jaejoong spoke up.

“Must be just a tip then,” Jaejoong said a bit breathless, hands going down this time to Yunho’s waistline obscured by his now untucked shirt, “since you’re just standing there and not on your knees.” His eyes narrowed in annoyance when his hands were stilled. 

“Boojae don’t, you’re scaring the kid,” Yunho said, giving Jaejoong a look to make his partner's scowl go away but by this point Jongin was on the ground forehead almost touching the floor. “Jongin, look at me.” He knelt up, hands smoothing out his school blazer. “If there is something you need, you should ask Taemin. If Taemin can’t get it for you, you should ask Minho, then Yonghwa, then Yesung, then Yoochun, and then me. Is what you’re about to ask me beyond their capabilities?”

Jongin froze, images of Yonghwa putting a bullet through Mr. Park’s kneecap, Minho’s laughter piercing the air, and Yesung’s bored expression.

“No… I… I believe the sum is a bit too much to ask for so suddenly so I didn’t ask them.” Yunho nodded but frowned.

“So tell me, what trouble have you gotten yourself into?” Jongin bit his lip.

“A friend needs it… not me.”

“Then your friend should be taking the loan from Phantom, not you,” Jaejoong snapped, detaching himself from Yunho and walking towards Jongin’s kneeled form. “Why don’t you bring this friend of yours in here just like Taemin brought you?” The anger Jongin felt at Jaejoong’s comment surprised him. Jongin couldn’t even picture Chanyeol being in a place like this. The entire notion in itself was absurd and he hardly even knew the guy outside of his current financial problems. He kept his eyes trained forward at Yunho’s knees.

“He doesn’t belong in a place like this.”

“Which means he must not be dealing with anyone that scary.”

“Jaejoong…”

“No, Yunho, it’s fine. I’m in a good mood today,” Jaejoong continued. “Plus I’m not that overly concerned about Mr. Kim’s money.”

The two must’ve noticed the confused look on Jongin’s face because Yunho spoke up again.

“Internal loans always have to go through Youngmin. Since you’re so young you can repay the debt by working in one of Phantom’s official businesses, unofficial businesses, or through money you earn somewhere else. Just know that any money you would’ve made through Phantom will go to paying off this debt though the debt will have no final due date and any family you may have will not be obligated to repay it if you die… which shouldn’t happen.” Yunho laughed. “It’s quite a nice perk, actually.” Jongin nodded. “Also you won’t be able to refuse any summons. Think of it as working overtime but since you’re still in school of course I’ll make sure anyone from Taemin up to Yoochun doesn’t go overboard. I can’t do much about Youngmin though and he’ll be curious about who you are after you take the loan.”

“And if Youngmin has the choice between being a bitch or leaving you the fuck alone, he’ll be a bitch,” Jaejoong added, plopping back down next to Yunho who started massaging his shoulders immediately earning an approving sigh. 

“I need… nine million won… tonight.” 

***

“I can’t believe it…” Chanyeol said, sitting opposite Baekhyun and Jongdae in the latter's kitchen. None of them had ever seen so much money stacked up in one place. But it still wasn’t enough. Chanyeol did the calculations in his head. He was still short even million won.

It was Saturday afternoon. Baekhyun looked like he was about to cry. Jongdae laughed.

“Honestly Chanyeol, did you really think I’d leave you hanging?” The boy went to his room briefly before coming back with a paper bag.

“No way!” Baekhyun gasped.

“Yes way.” Jongdae grinned like a cat. “Seven million won and some change courtesy of yours truly.” 

“But…” Chanyeol stuttered, “how?” The two turned to Jongdae who took his time answering, basking in the attention.

“I suppose I just know the right people.” The three of them laughed, packing up the money into Chanyeol’s backpack. Jongdae’s excuse was good enough for them. They already had plenty enough to worry about already.

***

It was strange being in an empty apartment. It was lonely too. Sooyoung was sleeping at Jongdae’s house and his father was safely in Daejeon with his grandparents. All that was left in their tiny home was cup ramen, leftovers from Mrs. Cha’s breakfasts, a mattress, family photo, school supplies, and Chanyeol sitting in the middle of the floor with his backpack filled with sixty million won. 

The silence unnerved him and for a while he checked out the window every few minutes. This evening was a little bit cool for late March and their roughly patched windows and door did little to keep out the cold.

Chanyeol had a lot of time to think about things, sitting there all alone. He had a lot to consider. Once the money in his hands was gone, he barely had anything left to support him and his sister. He didn’t want her to stay at Jongdae’s or anyone else’s house but with his father and his hospital bills out of the picture, Chanyeol believed he could manage if only barely. He would spend more time working with Mrs. Cha and skip out on Sungji’s free cram school lessons. Baekhyun would help him apply for more scholarships since he still wanted to give college a shot even if he had to enlist first. Either way, Sooyoung would probably have to move to Daejoon at the end of the school year so their family there could look after her. He didn’t know how long the generosity of his grandparents would last. Taking care of the husband their daughter left behind was already asking for too much, in his opinion. She wouldn’t be happy about that. Mrs. Cha had said one of her renters had left recently. That the apartment wasn’t much, but that it is a place they could stay.

Chanyeol smiled to himself. What would he ever do without Mrs. Cha?

He hummed and tapped his feet leaning back against the mattress as the night grew later, shouts of wild youth coming back from a night out drifting through the window. He was almost asleep by the time he heard a knock on the door. One very hard knock.

Chanyeol scrambled to look through the peephole seeing the distorted face of a man who looked to be in his mid to late twenties, two figures standing behind him. He opened the door. The man looked at him.

“We are looking for Mr. Park,” he said, already looking irritated.

“I’m his son.” The two young men behind him entered the apartment circling around him. “I have the money my father owes.”

“And where is your father?”

“Out of town… getting treatment for his legs.” The man grinned.

“Fair enough.” Chanyeol’s eyes wandered over to the backpack on the floor and the older man motioned for one of the boys behind him to begin counting. He looked surprised seeing the amount of bills inside. “You said you have the money?”

“Yes.” Part of him felt like the man was disappointed he was getting all of his money back.

“I am curious how you managed to collect it all. You must have an extraordinary amount of friends.”

“We work hard.” 

The man wandered over to the kitchen counter. The second young man was double checking the money the first one was counting.

“If only you had worked hard enough before I had to resort to such methods last time,” the man said, voice sluggish and eyes going hazy as he looked out the broken window. His right hand came up to massage his forehead. He looked tired.

“It’s all here, boss.” The shorter of the two looked unamused. Chanyeol’s pulse sped up as the three headed towards the door but their leader placed his hand on his shoulder before leaving.

“If you ever need any financial help, Mr. Park Jr.,” he said, “take a visit down to Mirotic. Your father knows the place well.” He continued walking to the exit. “But,” he said, head turning slightly, “know that you are one of my least trusted customers and I will not tolerate any more late payments.”

The door closed, drenching the apartment in silence. Finally, Chanyeol dropped to the floor and cried, uninhibited, in both relief of the past and fear of the future. 

Outside on the street corner, Jongin and Taemin opened the car doors for their superiors. Deep inside an out of the way nightclub, Jongdae was brought into the embrace of a man he didn’t truly know. In the shadow of the factories, Baekhyun sat at home gently singing to calm his mother.

On Sunday they would rest. 

Monday morning would be a fresh start. 

It had to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well with the first six chapters out of the way that finishes up what I consider to be the "intro" for this story. I hope you have been enjoying it! As a general update, I recently also revamped one of my other stories - an incomplete work called Bound by Silver. Perhaps if I get around to writing it all, I'll also post the finished version on AO3. Currently it's not available to read anywhere although the first several chapters were posted on AFF a long time ago.
> 
> But in general feel free to pop down in the comments with your thoughts or questions! It typically does wonders for my self esteem eheh... Or you can hit me up on twitter where I exist as @UnusualTable.
> 
> My writing productivity is pretty heavily contingent on COVID-19 keeping the world on hold and me unemployed so I'm trying to work as quickly as possible!


	8. Act I: Chapter VII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT I: Baekhyun wanted to get into Yonsei, Jongdae wanted to sing, and Chanyeol was determined to make their last year of high school the best of their lives. 
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Jongin  
> Scene II - Jongin  
> Scene III - Baekhyun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Jongin sat at his desk by the window, head resting in his hands even after the final bell. Many people’s belongings still littered their desks but many of the students in Jongin’s section either went out for dinner or club activities before returning for cram lessons in the evening. Taemin texted him during history saying he was leaving for the day. His friend had been doing that more often recently opting to hop into Yonghwa’s new red sports car and ride around the city or relax in an empty Mirotic during daylight hours. 

Things were more or less the same as far as Jongin’s activities with Phantom were concerned. He would get invited to drink and party with some of the younger members every night of the week but was only required to show up for collections on the weekends. Taemin had started to get called out on an odd job every now and then, but Jongin was mostly left alone even with the debt sitting on his own shoulders. The only time he was really reminded of it was when Yunho didn’t give him his small portion of the earnings the previous weekend. Luckily Taemin had been too busy talking to others to notice. 

Taemin was still frustrated with Jongin for not being as enthusiastic about being part of Phantom as he had been. Taemin said he was considering dropping out of high school but wouldn’t be able to unless someone above Yunho approved of it. Even though it was only the first week of April, Jongin’s grades were almost as low as Taemin’s. Even when he started to attend classes regularly after his tiny fallout with Taemin over what happened to Mr. Park, nothing seemed to click. Jongin had never stayed for extra lessons before but he thought he’d give it a try today since Taemin wasn’t around to ridicule him for it. His friend had been doing that a lot lately.

Jongin had not seen Chanyeol in school all of the previous week, but his two friends didn’t seem to be worried about his absence so Jongin assumed everything was fine. The last time he had seen the tall senior was when they met up for the handoff. Chanyeol had looked nervous, as what would be expected, but Jongin was shocked at how cheerful he was and how grateful he seemed for Jongin to be there even though Jongin had pointedly ignored him the days leading up to the exchange. Now that all problems were solved, neither of Chanyeol’s friends had even glanced at Jongin in the hallway, when before they’d at least acknowledge his presence.

With a sigh, Jongin took out his algebra textbook from inside his desk. Just looking at the practice problems the teacher said they’d go over was giving him a headache. It was impressive that Taemin had managed not to flunk out even though Jongin knew he was one of the worst students in the entire school. He aimlessly dragged his pencil from one side of the margin to the other, groaning when he punctured a hole into the paper by accident. That was when he heard knocking on the classroom window - three little taps. 

Behind the glass, standing in the hallway, was none other than Park Chanyeol who waved enthusiastically before going to the door and sliding it open. Both of them flinched at the loud sound it made but before Jongin knew it the elder had brought up a chair to the other side of his desk.

“Kim Jongin!” he more or less shouted, eyes big and wild. Jongin felt like a bug under a magnifying glass. “You didn’t try to run away from me!” 

There was really no reason for Jongin to ever talk to Chanyeol again. The boy’s friends seemed to understand that perfectly well. The more Chanyeol was around Jongin, the more likely it was that the three people in Phantom who knew his face: Yesung, Yonghwa, and Minho, would see him with Jongin, recognize him, and after that it was just a matter of time until someone connected the dots and everyone found out that Jongin took Phantom’s money to give to Chanyeol just to give back to Phantom. Although he wasn’t certain for sure, it was very likely there were some rules against what he had done. 

Jongin sighed again.

“I guess since you’re here, everything worked out?” he asked. Chanyeol nodded. “Good, our business together is over then.” 

Jongin looked back down at his textbook in an attempt to miss whatever disappointed face the giant made but was caught off guard at Chanyeol’s change in tone.

“I wanted to thank you for helping me,” he said. “You had no reason to but you did anyway. You basically… well… you saved my father’s life, I want you to know that.” 

Something about Chanyeol being serious, voice dropping to a low but steady hum, made Jongin feel more self-conscious than when he was on the receiving end of his open stare. 

“It’s ok.”

“No, it’s not.” Chanyeol leaned in closer, elbows resting on Jongin’s desk, whispering. “You said you knew what it was like to not have any choices. I don’t expect you to explain that to me, but I need to know that you’re ok, that you don’t owe people money who don’t care about your well-being, and that you’re not in trouble. Even if we don’t know each other that well, you are still technically my junior.” His smile was back now, a smaller and more gentle one. 

“I don’t.”

“Good!” Chanyeol stood up. “You’re an awesome and supremely cool person and it makes me sad to see you sitting all alone so that’s why,” Chanyeol dug into the inside pocket of his blazer, “that’s why I cordially invite you to my official housewarming party!” Chanyeol handed him a piece of paper with what he assumed to be Chanyeol’s new address printed in rainbow-striped block letters. “This Saturday at three.” 

Jongin didn’t have a chance to respond before his senior bolted out the door yelling something about being late for his new job.

He crumpled up the paper and pushed it to the edge of his desk. By the time evening classes ended he opened it up again, putting it in his pocket instead.

It would be rude to throw it away.

***

Jongin was sitting in his third night of cram school classes, nibbling on a red bean bun and trying to decipher an English word when his phone rang earning him an enraged look from his teacher.

“Your phone should be _off_ during class, Kim Jongin. There is no room for your delinquent behavior when everyone else around you is working hard.” 

Jongin scowled, deciding to walk out of the room and take the call instead of silencing it and restraining himself from kicking the chair in front of him in frustration. He had been working hard too but it’s like just by trying he was offending the student body.

“Hello?”

_“Mirotic, now.”_

“Who is this?”

_“It’s Jaejoong, dipshit.”_

The line cut off. How had Jaejoong gotten his number?

When Jongin entered the classroom again just to pack up his things he heard some of the students snickering but they stopped when he shot a few of them a glare.

By the time he got to Mirotic it was fairly crowded for a Wednesday. Avoiding the bar since whenever Heechul gave him information it only made Jongin uneasy, he headed straight to Jaejoong’s office praying to every deity he could name that Yunho wasn’t there too. He didn’t want the same display as last time.

He took it all back when he saw Kim Youngmin instead, standing a comfortable distance away from Jaejoong ignoring the beautiful man’s annoyed expression. Just like the first time Jongin had seen him, Mr. Kim wore khaki pants, a polo shirt, and an expensive-looking sweater seeming very out of place in Jaejoong’s, for lack of a better word, demonic office cloaked in deep reds with a giant statue of a bear and a horse sitting behind his mahogany desk. 

Mr. Kim smiled, wrinkles forming on the edges of his eyes.

“You’re very young,” he said curiously. “What would someone your age need with so much of my money?” 

While Jongin was considering how he should respond, Jaejoong stood up and left the room, door slamming shut behind him.

“As I told Yunho, Mr. Kim, I needed it very urgently for a friend.”

“Take a seat.” He motioned towards one of the large read sofas taking the one opposite for himself. “Minho tells me that you’ve been living with him since the end of January.”

“Yes sir.”

“When was your first job as part of Phantom?” Jongin didn’t need to think about the date, but he pretended like he was anyway.

“The beginning of March, sir.”

“So you understand why I am adding a month’s worth of rent to the debt you already owe me. Might as well get everything out of the way now.” 

Jongin had to put a lot of effort into keeping his expression neutral.

“I understand, sir.” The man looked him up and down.

“Good. I have a new job for you. It will last until the amount you work satisfies the amount of debt you owe. You can understand why I wouldn’t want someone who owes me money to go collecting debt from others.” 

Jongin nodded a little bit relieved he wouldn’t have to work with Minho anymore even if it meant he’d see Taemin even less now.

“What will I be doing?”

“You’ll be my new delivery boy. It’s simple enough: deliver packages quickly and efficiently without asking any questions. You’ll come into contact with many people in different parts of Phantom and you should do your best not to upset them.” He pulled out a phone and gave it to him. “This is yours now. Trash your old one then take this,” he said pulling out a regular sized envelope, “and deliver it to the address that will be sent to you shortly.”

Jongin looked at the envelope for a moment before slipping it into his backpack. He liked the idea of delivering packages a lot more than being a loan shark in training. When he headed towards the door, Youngmin cleared his throat. 

“And Jongin,” he turned his head back around, “never lie to me.”

Youngmin kept his eyes on the door long after Jongin left.

***

“Jongdae, I’m not sure if it’s good for Chanyeol to live around here,” Baekhyun said, looking nervously out the passenger window as his friend checked his GPS again.

Kyungsoo sat quietly in the backseat. It had been a surprise for both of them when the class president had asked to tag along. He didn’t seem like the festive type.

“He’s been living here for months, Baek, he’s fine.”

They turned a corner where a group of large men eyed Baekhyun through the window. He shivered.

“I’m more surprised he’s not worried about not studying the entire afternoon,” Kyungsoo said with a yawn.

“No, my textbooks are in the trunk. Don’t think you can defeat me so easily, Do Kyungsoo!”

When they reached Chanyeol’s building, Baekhyun almost cried when he realized it was a four story walk up but the two boys with him each picked up one of the futons they bought for Chanyeol and his sister while Baekhyun picked up a small gift of his own. He tried not to laugh watching Kyungsoo climbing the stairs with ease, a panting Jongdae trailing behind trying to pass him. Baekhyun decided to not participate in the sudden race, taking his time making sure he didn’t start to sweat. 

Sooyoung answered the door giving Jongdae and Baekhyun a massive hug. She paused when she spotted Kyungsoo, but went in for the kill anyway leaving him standing in the doorway like he just got hit by a bus.

“Thank you all for coming. Chanyeol didn’t even tell me about this until a few hours ago. He wanted it to be a surprise but failed.” 

Baekhyun turned around to begin to give himself a tour of the apartment but stopped when he realized he could see the whole thing from where he stood. The whole place was one room with what he assumed to be a bathroom through a tiny door in the back. On one wall was a sink, mini fridge, and a hotplate. On the other was a mattress and a radio. There was barely enough room for the five of them to stand if they spread out their arms. 

Baekhyun decided not to comment, choosing to give Chanyeol his present instead since he already thanked Jongdae and Kyungsoo for the futons, rolling them over to the apartment’s one window. 

“I went all the way out to the big mall to get this for you Channie, you owe me one!” he said in a joking manner. 

Chanyeol hurriedly unwrapped the gift uncovering a red alarm clock with two black bells on the top, a small golden hammer in between, and a Mickey Mouse on the face giving a thumbs up. 

“Aw, it’s so cute!” Sooyoung squealed. “Thank you!” 

Baekhyun scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

“We love it,” Chanyeol added. “But since you guys see that this place is a little small, we’ll have the rest of this party downstairs outside of Mrs. Cha’s place.”

Chanyeol had mentioned Mrs. Cha only once and that was when their friend explained his family’s situation to Baekhyun and Jongdae a few weeks ago. The woman was just as he described but it was a surprise for all of them when her grandson, Cha Hakyeon, showed up announcing the opening of his very own food truck which would operate in front of the store. Some people who passed by stopped to take a look at the newly opened cart during the party and a lot of them even bought something even if they were surprised by how arrogant Hakyeon came off when bragging about his cooking skills.

As the day grew later, the three boys sat back on some lawn chairs watching amusedly as Sooyoung made fun of Kyungsoo, Mrs. Cha urging her on from the sidelines.

The sun was going down by the time Sooyoung announced she was turning in for the night, giving everyone a hug before leaving. Soon after, Mrs. Cha did the same, her grandson shutting down the cart once the streets looked like they were going to stay empty until the next morning. Still, Chanyeol tried to keep the conversation going amongst the boys. His face was crestfallen when Baekhyun said it was time for them to leave.

“But…” he said, looking both ways down the street.

“What?” Kyungsoo asked with a yawn.

“Nothing,” Chanyeol said, “I was just hoping someone else would stop by. Baekhyun and Jongdae looked at each other knowingly before dragging Chanyeol up from his seat.

“We’re pretty out of the way from where most Sungji students live, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun explained. “I’m sure you can talk to Jongin next week.”

“But for the record,” Jongdae added, “we both still think you should stay away from him. Anyone who hangs out with Taemin is bad news. Did you thank him for helping you?” 

“Yes…”

“Good, then forget about it and move on.”


	9. Act I: Chapter VIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT I: Baekhyun wanted to get into Yonsei, Jongdae wanted to sing, and Chanyeol was determined to make their last year of high school the best of their lives. 
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Chanyeol  
> Scene II - Jongin  
> Scene III - Jongin
> 
> FIRST APPEARANCE (EXO): Luhan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

At four in the morning the now familiar sound of a tiny hammer hitting two bells filled the studio apartment, glowing hands illuminating the Mickey Mouse giving everyone the thumbs up. Chanyeol rolled over, uprooting the blanket on top of his futon, knocking over the alarmclock, and smacking his sister in the face all in one swing.

Now in the last days of May, the rough start to the school year seemed like a dream… or maybe a not so distant nightmare. Ever since Chanyeol cleared his father’s debt, things had been rough but manageable. Chanyeol would help Mrs. Cha unload supplies early in the morning earning the same small breakfast and bus fare as before but now Sooyoung would work behind the counter after school. Cha Hakyeon’s food truck brought some life into the cramped yet always seemingly desolate neighborhood. He would stay open late, always keeping a table clear for Sooyoung to do her homework once the grocery store closed at nine while waiting for Chanyeol to come back from his job at a fried chicken place closer to school on the last bus home. The two would collapse into bed a little after midnight only to wake up to start the cycle again. Rent was paid to Mrs. Cha on an “as able” basis. In a sense, the woman had become their unofficial grandmother. 

Chanyeol never realized how busy senior year would be for everyone. Nowadays he only ever saw Baekhyun and Jongdae during lunch. They would sometimes drag along Kyungsoo and a boy named Zitao respectively which always gave Chanyeol a few more reasons to laugh at the table though sometimes he would be fast asleep by the time lunch period ended making his friends worried about how much he was working. Baekhyun would stay late for their cram school program that went until nine-thirty at night, sometimes stopping by to see Chanyeol and to grab some discounted chicken on the way home. 

Jongdae revealed that he got a part time gig at a restaurant bussing tables and singing on stage when the owner thought he would fit in with that night’s lineup. He would stay out so late that sometimes he’d only show up to school halfway through the day, drained but happy. Baekhyun was now supportive of the idea of him singing, going on and on about how he would debut in a mega popular K-pop boy band even though Kyungsoo made a point to let Jongdae know how ugly he thought he was. Surprisingly Jongdae was very shy talking about his amateur singing career and no matter how much Baekhyun begged, he’d never say exactly  _ where _ he performed. Nevertheless, everyone was working hard for their future and despite these slight changes in their school life, things were mostly normal with one exception.

The Monday after Chanyeol’s housewarming party, he had planned to go down to Jongin’s classroom during break to check on the boy, but Jongdae and Zitao caught him before he even left his own classroom, dragging him back to his desk.

“Just give him space, Chanyeol,” Jongdae said. “You’ll thank me for this later.”

So Chanyeol did give him space, only going down to loiter outside of classroom 1-E to check on him for a few moments through the window. He smiled to himself whenever he saw Jongin studying hard during breaks. He would chew on his pencil or bite his lips focusing only on the book in front of him since, Chanyeol realized, none of the freshmen ever bothered to speak to the boy. When he wasn’t in his classroom he almost always spotted Jongin out back with Taemin smoking and eating cup noodles. 

There were some days when Chanyeol wouldn’t even go to the cafeteria for lunch opting to instead sit from afar and watch Jongin, worrying whenever he only ate junk food or when Taemin’s playful punches looked like they were landing a little too hard on Jongin's shoulders and stomach. He worried even more when slowly Jongin started to miss days of school or arrive for one period, be gone the next few, and return for an hour or so exhausted with his head leaning on the classroom window. He worried when he heard people whispering about Jongin, those who noticed the way he came and went as he pleased. He worried even more when the school erupted in gossip after Taemin dropped out.

Their eyes met sometimes. Jongin knew Chanyeol was watching him but he never asked for help, never smiled or waved back, just sat quietly following directions until he glanced at his phone, packed up, and left.

When the weather started to get warmer and everyone swapped out their long sleeves for short ones, Chanyeol saw how skinny Jongin had become. He saw how despite his dark skin Jongin began to look paler, bags under his eyes growing by the day and for some reason Chanyeol thought it had to do with something he did… or didn’t do. He didn’t do anything watching Jongin the way he did.

The few times he approached Jongin, resolve shattering, the younger would ignore him finding new corners to hide in so that he wouldn’t be forced to speak to anyone. The few times Chanyeol managed to catch up with him, Jongin would say some iteration of “leave me alone.” So he would accept that but only a few days would pass before he would try again. Today was one of those days. 

The second he was dismissed for lunch, Chanyeol all but sprinted to the nearest vending machine. He looked at the prices of the various snacks and drinks feeling a bit guilty for considering such a thing as a factor when he owed Jongin more than the entire contents of the vending machines combined. He ended up picking a small carton of chocolate milk with a funny looking cartoon of a dancing cow printed on the front. He scrutinized it for a moment, wondering if it would annoy Jongin or if Jongin would rather drink coffee instead.

Rushing down to room 1-E, Chanyeol saw that the room was empty except for a group of three girls chatting loudly. Figuring they must’ve been irritating to Jongin, Chanyeol headed outside near the dumpsters where Jongin used to go with Taemin. It was one of the few places on school property where teachers pretended to not know students were smoking though Chanyeol suspected Taemin only got away with it because the former students he’d had as friends had been so terrifying that no one in the administration was willing to make an issue out of it.

One day a few weeks prior, Kyungsoo had explained how Taemin could’ve been a model student if he wanted to but his megawatt smile and smooth talking made teachers less upset when he missed a class or six on a weekly basis. Baekhyun had spent the rest of the conversation trying to scold Kyungsoo for using his privileges to look through people's transcripts before the short-tempered man stomped on his foot and stole his beloved pencil sharpener beginning an entirely different dispute that ended with Jongdae making fart noises with his armpits. 

Chanyeol momentarily enjoyed the feeling of sunshine on his skin and he almost regretted not buying some chocolate milk for himself. Peeking around the back of the building he spotted his target but stopped when he saw Taemin: blonde hair replacing jet black, expensive streetwear replacing Sungji’s boxy uniforms. The ex-second year’s voice raised in volume as he stood up over a dejected looking Jongin.

“Just… just stay away from me before you ruin everything, Jongin,” he said, flicking his cigarette so it just missed Jongin’s hand, storming off towards Chanyeol’s direction. Taemin quickly covered his surprise when he saw Chanyeol and glared at him before shoving him aside with his shoulder heading towards the back gate of the school where a red car was parked waiting for him.

Looking back to Jongin, Chanyeol noted that he hadn’t moved since Taemin left. His shoulders hunched over, hair sweaty and clinging to his forehead as if he had just run a marathon. He flicked pebbles around him with his fingers for a few moments before a huge sob shook his body.

Chanyeol approached as quietly as he could but he noticed Jongin try to calm himself down knowing that someone was near and that someone was probably him. Up close Jongin looked even skinnier than he had from afar. Chanyeol set the chocolate milk down silently and walked away. They could always talk another day.

When Chanyeol revisited the dumpsters after school let out for the day, he smiled at the sight of an empty milk carton. 

It gave him an idea.

***

Jongin skidded around the corner deciding to cut through the skeleton of a long abandoned building to save time. He glanced at his watch as the first signs of light began to wake the sky. His throat was dry, he hadn’t eaten in close to twenty-four hours, and his head hurt but that was normal these days. Working “overtime” for Phantom was a massive understatement on Yunho’s part because for the past two months he had been treated like less than a dog.

Jongin had been running around most of the night only getting an hour long nap before being dragged out of bed to deliver an envelope to a now familiar spot on the edge of town that smelled like fish and dust. Jaejoong had offered to give him a bicycle weeks ago but Jongin rejected it after being told it would just be added to the debt he owes. He wanted to get out of the package boy business as quickly as possible.

Something within Jongin was being slowly bent and twisted the more people he met, people who made Yesung look like a saint. It didn’t take long for all of Youngmin’s friends to get used to him, taking to calling him “Kai” because it was written on his shoes. In the places he traveled to, Jongin had heard screams of men and women young and old, exchanged packages with people whose hands were covered in blood, and seen men in the middle of being tortured interrupted only by Jongin’s arrival. Each time he looked away, ignored them, because he couldn’t be everyone’s hero like he was for Chanyeol.

He scoffed, breathing in dust from the air around him. Helping Chanyeol is what had landed him this job in the first place.

But even on the nights where he could catch some sleep, the eyes and voices of the people he left to fend for themselves would filter into his dreams. Whenever he saw Chanyeol at school looking at him, he noticed he had those same eyes: deep and scared and hopeful and trusting, until he took a step back and turned away.

Taemin began to ignore him in his moments of weakness, putting all of his attention on Minho as Jongin vomited in the bathroom pacing back and forth until morning when the two elders would see him curled up next to the couch, fingers digging into his thighs as he slept.

Jongin reached the front door of Super Junior’s just as a strong beam of sunlight hit him from over the horizon. His fist landed heavily three times on the large iron door. The deep blue neon sign stopped its light hum as it shut off and a few moments later a young man appeared with big doe eyes and blinding curly blonde hair. He eyed the item in Jongin’s hands.

“Siwon is expecting you,” he said. The man had a heavy accent. “But I’m not letting you in.” It took Jongin a moment to process what was going on.

“What?”

“Siwon is cleaning up a rather unfortunate mess. It’s best if you don’t come in.” The man’s delicate hands grabbed for the envelope Jongin was holding but his reflexes jumped in at the last second, gripping the envelope and pulling it back towards his chest.

“No,” he said, head pounding, “I can only give this to Siwon. I’ve been here before.”

“And  _ I  _ said you’re not coming in here.” The sky was getting very bright now and Jongin was getting a little faint. The blonde was still standing there, hands on his hips and they glared at each other until they heard three gunshots from inside and not long after out of the darkness came Choi Siwon squinting at the morning sky.

“Kai,” he said, “I was wondering when I’d be seeing you.” He took the envelope, hands curving around the edges. Unexpectedly he walked past Jongin and out further onto the cracked pavement holding the letter against the sun.

Jongin had never been able to really figure out Siwon. He was handsome and proper but the mention of his name would get even Yunho grinding his teeth. He was one of the few people Jongin delivered to who weren’t in Phantom’s official structure - all he knew was that Siwon was always hanging around Super Junior’s. He likened him to Jaejoong. 

“Luhan,” he said after a few minutes, a wide smile stretching across his face. The blonde had been leaning against the open door, eyes trailing up and down Jongin’s body but at the sound of Siwon’s voice he stood up straight. “Bring me Chen. A celebration is in order and I’m going to start it by fucking that boy on every single surface in this  _ fine _ establishment!” He looked back to Jongin as he started walking back into the darkness of the club. “Send Youngmin my regards, Kai. I have a feeling we won’t be seeing each other for a while.”

***

Jongin slipped into his third period class, teacher pretending he didn’t exist as always. Nobody in the school had ever approached him but he heard them talking sometimes. He heard people saying he was a drug addict, that his parents ran an illegal casino, that he was mentally unstable, even that Taemin was abusing him. But Jongin didn’t want to think about Taemin right now.

The previous week the stress was really getting to Jongin. He wasn’t doing well in school and just when it seemed like he was about to get Mr. Kim’s approval he’d lash out at him, knocking him down a few pegs every time without a chance to recover. In a moment of insanity Jongin told Taemin that he had to get out of Phantom, how it was ruining his chance to have a normal life, how everything he did, all the suffering of others he ignored, all of the people he pushed away from him was all to get out for good. But Taemin didn’t want to hear it, didn’t want to hear Jongin, didn’t want to see him, didn’t want to admit to himself that his friend was miserable because he had followed him blindly into Phantom just like he followed Taemin everywhere else. And because of this Taemin knew Jongin couldn’t follow through with anything he said. Jongin was nothing without Taemin leading the way.

He jolted awake when students started chatting and sliding their chairs back at the end of the period and his hands scrambled to take the stack of homework under his desk out so maybe he could get through a few overdue algebra problems before the next period began in ten minutes. If he could only last for a few more weeks like this, Youngmin would get off his back. The man had even told him that it wouldn’t be long. 

When the stack was on his desk he squinted at a neon pink post-it note, a flower doodle on one side with a message on the other:

_ “Rise and shine, it’s Monday! Fighting! - PCY” _


	10. Act I: Chapter IX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT I: Baekhyun wanted to get into Yonsei, Jongdae wanted to sing, and Chanyeol was determined to make their last year of high school the best of their lives.  
> CHARACTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Chanyeol  
> Scene II - Jongin  
> Scene III - Junmyeon
> 
> FIRST APPEARANCE (EXO): Junmyeon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Going down to Jongin’s classroom had now become routine. The freshman hallway tended to empty out the quickest, the students all rushing outside or downstairs to the cafeteria. Today Chanyeol ran down with a green post-it note. From the moment he’d woken up early that morning, he’d had a good feeling about today. Maybe today Jongin would talk to him. Or maybe he was still in good spirits after getting a raise at his part time job the previous night. 

“Kim Jongin! My favorite underclassman!” Chanyeol said brightly, taking large strides into the classroom. His smile, however, faltered when Jongin curled in on himself at his desk, hands clutching his head and groaning. Like usual, everyone else in the class was long gone.

Chanyeol quickly set the drink down and reached out towards JOngin’s shoulder as the boy moved to stand up, stumbling as he did so.

“Get off,” Jongin grumbled, bending down quickly to pick up his backpack. It looked like he had been hurriedly shoving books into it, papers crumpled and books still squeezing pends between the pages. “Water… I think I need water…” 

Chanyeol gently led Jongin out into the empty hallway to the nearest water fountain where the younger dumped his head in, choking a little as the liquid made its way down his throat. 

“Are you ok?” Chanyeol asked, moving backwards as Jongin glanced at him, eyes heavy and pupils dilated. He started walking towards the stairwell that went to the back parking lot. “Jongin, wait! Maybe you should rest in the infirmary?” Chanyeol steadied him once inside the stairwell, trying to lead him to sit on one of the steps. “You need to lay down, eat something,” he whispered, frowning when Jongin stuck his hand out against the railing keeping himself upright.

Just then Jongin’s breaths started to quicken and he backed up into the wall flipping his backpack upside down suddenly. Textbooks and notebooks fell out surrounded by the fluttering of dozens of brightly colored post-it notes.

_“I heard freshmen have a big history test today, good luck! - PCY”_

_“Vegetables will make you strong! - PCY”_

_“Hey, have you seen the cool guy who sits here? - PCY”_

_“You’re the best! - PCY”_

_“It’s hot today, stay cool! - PCY”_

Chanyeol immediately bent forward to gather everything back up again when Jongin’s foot roughly shoved into his chest with a frustrated scream.

“Why don’t you get it?” Jongin then whispered. “Can’t you just leave me alone, huh? Can’t you just fucking ignore me like everyone else?”

“But-”

“No, Park. Just-” Jongin stopped what he was about to say when the distinct buzzing of a phone sounded from his pocket. Air forced its way out of Jongin’s lungs followed by vomit dripping all over the stairs. “Go away!”

Jongin stood up again and weakly elbowed Chanyeol out of the way. Just out of Chanyeol’s reach, his knees gave out, sending him tumbling down the stairwell. 

***

Jongin took a deep breath, body feeling weightless and numb. When he opened his eyes he saw the face of Park Chanyeol, eyes bloodshot but relieved. On any other day the senior’s face would have annoyed him but right now he felt more relaxed than he has in a long time.

“The doctor said you only needed to rest… your body just kind of shut down. It was scary,” Chanyeol said, hands gripping the sheets near Jongin’s torso.

“Oh,” he said dumbly, voice coming out quieter than he meant it to. 

Chanyeol looked at him again, taking a deep breath.

“You kept the notes.” 

It took a moment for Jongin to realize what he was talking about, soon recalling what had happened before all this. 

“Mhm.”

“Why?”

“Dunno.” 

Chanyeol frowned and ran one of his hands through his hair. They were silent for a few more minutes, Jongin’s eyes going around the room from the IV stuck in his arm to the open window, sounds of birds chirping filtering through. 

“Is this the nurse’s office or the hospital?” he asked after a while. “I can’t miss another… another English class. It’s right after lunch.” 

Chanyeol chuckled.

“Sorry Jongin, but it’s Friday evening.” He remembers it being Thursday afternoon. “The teachers know what happened though. You’re fine.” 

Jongin relaxed back into the pillows, processing. 

“Then why are you here?”

“Do you want me to leave?” 

Jongin rolled his shoulders a bit trying to shake off the effects of such a heavy sleep.

“I… I don’t know.” 

Chanyeol stayed. He talked about everything from summer vacation to his thoughts on Jongin’s bad eating habits and Jongin just listened to the timbre of his voice. When he finally looked at his cellphone, remembering that it had been ringing on Thursday before everything happened, Jongin became more relaxed than he already had been looking at the text from Yunho:

_“Congratulations! Your debt has been repaid. Take some time off, you deserve it.”_

Listening to Chanyeol’s jokes into the night, Jongin wondered if this is what it was like to be normal. It felt like he was young, younger than he was now. Out on the playground with Taemin. But far less dreary, far less hostile. 

Chanyeol told him about his friends, Baekhyun and Jongdae. The three had known each other for longer than he had known Taemin. He told him about his sister, Sooyoung, who he thought was growing up too quickly. Chanyeol wasn’t that bad when he spoke like this.

When the nurses made their rounds and announced the end of visiting hours, Chanyeol stood up to leave, but still paused by his bedside. 

“What do you think of me, Jongin?” he asked suddenly.

Jongin looked away from the TV in the corner of the room. Cartoons were on.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve been telling you about myself for hours. You must have some opinion, yeah?” 

Jongin looked at Chanyeol, big eyes and nose and ears looking just as goofy as the first time he’d seen him. Chanyeol hadn’t changed one bit despite everything. Despite what he probably knew Jongin was.

“I think you’re like an alien,” he said finally, “I don’t get you. I don’t get why you follow me around or leave me stupid notes or look at me like…” Jongin had to search for the right word, “like I’m a celebrity or something. I don’t get it. And if you’re doing all of this just because I helped you out once, stop. I don’t need… I don’t even know why you’re here, Chanyeol. I don’t know…” the anxiety from before was creeping backup on him. 

“Were you happy tonight?” Chanyeol asked, interrupting Jongin’s chaotic train of thought, eyes looking straight at him. 

“Yes…”

“Do you wanna get coffee tomorrow after you… after you get out of here?” Chanyeol asked, face reddening. 

“Why?” 

His throat felt dry. 

“Because I want to know everything about you.”

***

Seoul station thirty-one. Korean National Police. Homicide. Kim Junmyeon had fantasies of such a position since he was a child. Everything he’d ever done was leading up to this day.

He rushed back to the squad car balancing two cups of coffee in one and as he slid into the passenger seat. Kim Youngwoon looked over at him before grabbing a cup and downing half of it in one go. 

“Um…” Junmeyon had been afraid to talk all day. “Are we really supposed to be stopping for coffee when we’ve been called back to the station? They have coffee there too.” 

Youngwoon tilted his head back in what Junmyeon hoped was only mild annoyance. 

“Junmyeon, have we or have we not been getting calls to pick up body parts all day?” 

He gulped. 

“We have.”

“And have we or have we not discerned that these various body parts all belong to the same person?”

“We… we have.”

“And do we or do we not know the identity of the victim?”

“We do, sir.”

“Good. This is a good chance to get to know each other since it’s your first day on the job. On a scale of one to ten, how eager do you think I am to unwrap the most likely mutilated dick of Jung Jaehwa after it somehow made its way through the postal system and into the mail basket of the police chief?” 

Junmyeon considered his answer for a moment.

“Well… since he’s believed to be a syndicate leader… I’d say it’s important?” 

Youngwoon stared at him for a few beats then chucked his empty coffee cup out the window. 

“Listen to me, kid. It’s bad news getting into this organized crime shit so just sit back and relax while we try to keep it out of the media. In the meantime we let those thugs kill each other until they’re satisfied. We’ll mop up whatever’s left and the general public won’t have to know a thing. The world is better off without them. Understand?”

Junmyeon had many words on the tip of his tongue but took a nervous sip of coffee instead.

“Understood.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kim Youngwoon = Kangin from Super Junior


	11. Act I: Chapter X

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT I: Baekhyun wanted to get into Yonsei, Jongdae wanted to sing, and Chanyeol was determined to make their last year of high school the best of their lives. 
> 
> CHARACTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Jongin  
> Scene II - Kyungsoo  
> Scene III - Jongdae

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Jongin watched Chanyeol running back and forth in the kitchen. The fast food place was reasonably crowded but Jongin sat by himself. At other tables were kids he thought he recognized from school. Upbeat music played quietly through the store speakers. The lights overhead were bright. Jongin shouldn’t be here. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t fair to Chanyeol. 

The older boy disappeared from his sight before coming around through the kitchen door with a tray of food in his hands. 

“Break time!” he said, smiling and sliding into the seat opposite him. 

Chanyeol looked funny in a red apron and hat and he brought the smell of fried chicken and sweat with him.

Their trip to the cafe never happened because once Chanyeol picked him up from the hospital Saturday morning, his boss called and cursed him out for missing a night of work. Instead of going home, not wanting Taemin or Minho to ruin this odd sense of calm he felt, he decided to accompany Chanyeol to work instead. Now a basket of fries and chicken rings rested between them.

“Do you like working here?” he asked?

“I do, but I’m always hungry. So close to the chicken but if I get caught eating it… well… it’s troublesome for me. I do get a pretty nice discount though.” He chuckled before leaning in. “So… what’s your favorite color?” His tone was lighthearted but oddly curious.

“Um… blue? Maybe.”

“Cool, I like orange. What’s your favorite animal?” he asked, taking some of the fries and shoving them into his mouth.

“Chinchilla.” 

Chanyeol stopped chewing then sprayed bits of fries all over the table as he burst into laughter. Jongin blushed, not liking the attention they were now attracting.

“ _Chanyeol_ ,” he whispered, tapping on the shoulder as he wheezed, “what’s so funny about chinchillas?” 

It took a few moments for Chanyeol to compose himself.

“Nothing! Nothing, it was just cute the way you said it. I mean, uh… not _cute_ but like… funny. You said it in a funny way.” 

Jongin didn’t know what to make of the situation so he gave Chanyeol napkins, gesturing for him to clean up his mess.

“I saw one at the zoo once when I was younger. Taemin scared it off though and I got really mad at him.” 

“So you’ve been friends with him for a long time?”

“He was the only one who ever talked to me so it was only natural that we became friends.” Thinking back to his time at the orphanage, he actually had some pretty good memories with Taemin like when Taemin taught him how to climb a tree even though they weren’t allowed to. Jongin had gotten stuck of course. Taemin had a full blown meltdown as Jongin was punished for it. Chanyeol started to giggle again. “What did I say that was funny this time?”

Chanyeol stood up and smoothed out his apron. “Nothing, I swear. I’m just happy that you’re talking to me, really. Taemin is one lucky guy to have known you for so long.” 

Jongin looked down as he pulled at his own fingers. This is when he should tell Chanyeol he needed to leave but he couldn’t. There was an odd warmth tickling in his chest under the other boy’s gaze.

“I’m surprised you’re not asking me,” Jongin found himself saying.

“Asking you? About what?”

“I’m surprised you’re not asking me if everything everyone at school says about him is true. Or about… about me.” 

Chanyeol leaned back in his chair and shrugged.

“I don’t care about rumors. Life is complicated. You’ve seen that I know that. I’ve spent time with you, Jongin. I know you’re a good person even if you don’t believe that about yourself.”

The rest of Chanyeol’s break passed with him talking about his fellow employees as Jongin sat still, appetite momentarily gone. If Chanyeol noticed he was holding back tears, he didn’t say anything about it. 

***

Baekhyun grumbled when the phone went to voicemail for the third time in a row, Kyungsoo sitting across from him on the floor.

“Maybe you should just call later, Baekhyun.”

“No, these two used to never miss my calls. They’d be _afraid_ to miss my calls. I must be losing my touch.” 

Kyungsoo shook his head, gaze shifting back down to the physics notes in front of him.

“Maybe they just know you’re going to try to make them come to a study party… with me.” 

Baekhyun gasped.

“But study parties are fun! Your mom even gives us snacks!” 

Kyungsoo looked at him curiously.

“You do know that you’re like… the only person who even remotely enjoys my company, right? My mom spent an entire week stalking you on the web when I told her you brought me to Chanyeol’s housewarming party. I haven’t been invited to a social gathering since preschool when I punched a kid in the face.” 

Baekhyun stretched his back turning side to side to get out some of the kinks.

“I punched Jongdae in the face the first time we met for calling me a princess. Then I kicked him in the nuts for calling me an angel.” 

Kyungsoo scoffed. 

“Thanks for the info, now I know to never give you a compliment.” 

“No, I’m a boy! How could I be a princess?” 

Kyungsoo shrugged, choosing not to answer, refocusing his efforts on schoolwork. He actually got less studying done with Baekhyun around but for the first time his life had a change in pace. He’d be lying to himself if he pretended like something as simple as sitting at his dining room table with a friend wasn’t something he’d determined was beyond his capabilities long ago.

"But you're pretty though, kind of like a princess,” he said surprised when Baekhyun laughed.

“It’s funny when _you_ say it. Jongdae was dead serious though, he even held my hand. It was so creepy!” 

Kyungsoo noticed that Baekhyun had been reading the same page of his book for nearly thirty minutes, spending the majority of the time constantly checking his phone.

Kyungsoo knew that Jongdae was kind of a permanent fixture in Baekhyun’s life but he had been so busy trying to jump start his singing career that he was having less and less time for Baekhyun. Even when he was at school he’d spend more time talking to Zitao who was apparently also interested in becoming an idol, a topic completely alien to someone who studied more than they slept because it was fun. 

Even though this all meant that Kyungsoo got more one on one time with Baekhyun, the conversation would always shift back to Jongdae, Taeyeon coming up every now and then when they were on the topic of college applications. Kyungsoo actually thought his new friend’s puppy love for Taeyeon was both endearing and constructive since it was apparently a big motivator for him becoming a good student in the first place. Baekhyun jokingly called Kyungsoo his love rival, recounting how his name came up in conversation earlier in the spring.

Kyungsoo thought it would be nice, though, if Jongdae’s absence meant a little more space for him in Baekhyun’s life. Even with Taeyeon’s success, Sungji students getting accepted to any of Korea’s top schools was still seen as a longshot. Kyungsoo didn’t have many fond memories of his school days, but the idea of taking such an uncharted journey with someone like Baekhun always brought a smile to his face.

“Baekhyun dear, I just know you’re not thinking of walking out that door empty handed are you?” Kyungsoo’s mother called out to them late in the night from the kitchen doorway, a stack of plastic containers filled to the brim.

Baekhyun laughed nervously as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

“I feel bad Mrs. Do. You didn't have to.”

“I never _have_ to. But I want to. If not for you then accept it for your mother. Such a hardworking boy like you? The spirit must run in the family!”

Baekhyun accepted the wrapped up containers humbly as he always did and turned to Kyungsoo.

“I’ll be sure to return these to you at school like before.”

“Of course. Thank you for always humoring my mother. She likes to cook a lot even if there aren’t enough mouths around to eat it all.”

Kyungsoo watched from the window as Baekhyun walked into the night. He still didn’t know exactly where Baekhyun lived, but his friend swore it was close by. Each time he left on nights like these, however, Kyungsoo saw the way Baekhyun looked back at his home longingly. Always just for a moment. On this night perhaps Baekhyun looked back for just a moment longer.

***

Siwon’s private club was very different from the one Jongdae was used to performing in. It was a little bit further away but the inside was much more glamorous. Hidden from the view of the desolate looking landscape, below the property were many of Siwon’s cars ranging from sports cars to limos to even an armoured vehicle. Jongdae was most familiar with the yellow Mustang. That’s where he’d blown Siwon the first time, just like he’d learned freshman year in the gymnasium bathroom stalls. And the hood of the car in this very garage, that’s where Siwon fucked him the first time. He’d never done that in the gymnasium bathroom stalls. He’d never done that anywhere.

Jongdae had been spending many nights a week sleeping in the club’s annex, a tiny room shared with a Chinese man named Luhan. He wasn’t exactly sure what Luhan did, wasn’t entirely sure why there was seemingly a permanent scowl on his face. If it weren’t for the school books Jongdae often brought with him, he was fairly certain Luhan would have objected to him being around always commenting about how he was barely legal and it made him uncomfortable.

_“I never got to go to school,”_ he’d said one night, casually flipping through chapters of biology. 

But Luhan wasn’t here right now. Luhan would never be here on a Saturday night. He’d often come back just after sunrise and fall face first into bed. Jongdae usually spent Saturday nights singing but if Siwon called him to his own private space in the annex, how could Jongdae refuse? No one had ever wanted him as much as Siwon did.

Jongdae drooled against the gag in his mouth, trying to quiet the muffled sounds trapped in his throat. Siwon’s extinguished cigarette was lightly jostled by his head, the burn mark it left on his shoulder blade still stinging with the force of his thrusts. Siwon didn’t like loud sex but in that moment it had been difficult to stay quiet. He distantly wondered how he looked in the lingerie. He’d never gotten a chance to look in a mirror before they’d started and at the time whatever was going through his system honestly hadn’t caused him to think about it at the time. 

Jongdae closed his eyes tightly as Siwon’s hands gripped more firmly onto his scalp, strands being ripped free in the powerful grasp. The release on his face was dried and flaking. His blood was still rushing in his ears even if the general sense of euphoria had drained from him by now, heightened heart rate and a chill across his skin left in its wake. Siwon was still going. Siwon had taken a lot more than him, the tiny box of pills still open on his desk.

What would Baekhyun say if he knew?

And that’s the path his mind chose to take, back to Baekhyun, arousal stinging anew within him alongside his silent running tears of inexplicable shame. 

Baekhyun didn’t have to know. 

All he had to know was that Chen was closer to his dreams now more than ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OTHER STORIES BY UNUSUAL_TABLE
> 
> [Two Minutes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24045196/chapters/57859369): Jongin was born just two minutes after Kai. It took him a long time to realize he didn’t need to spend the rest of his life trying to catch up. [TWINS!AU - CHANKAI, SEKAI]
> 
> [Bound by Silver](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23604130/chapters/56642974): Master had three simple rules for Wolf to follow. The first was to never go beyond the fence. The second was to never speak to lodgers. The third was to never respond to the howl of the Mountain Spirits that could be heard on nights of the full moon. [WOFL!AU - SEKAI, BAEKYEOL, LAYHAN]
> 
> [Ghost Light](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24366250/chapters/58764295): After Junmyeon’s life falls apart, he retreats to his family’s small home near Daegu. Sequestered in his little house on the hill, he soon finds himself acquainted with an odd mailman named Zhang Yixing. [THEATRE!AU - SULAY]


	12. Act I: Chapter XI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT I: Baekhyun wanted to get into Yonsei, Jongdae wanted to sing, and Chanyeol was determined to make their last year of high school the best of their lives. 
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Jongdae  
> Scene II - Jongin  
> Scene III - Chanyeol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

“You should smile more.”

“Huh?”

Jongdae’s attention snapped back to the here and now at Siwon’s remark. It was morning and the dining area on Siwon’s floor of the annex would’ve been filled with sunlight, if not for the heavy sapphire blue curtains. On the cusp between spring and summer, Jongdae still shivered in the cold room, pulling the flimsy robe he’d been given to wear more tightly around himself. 

“Your voice cracked the last I heard you sing and I can see your stomach fat when you sit. The least you could do is smile.”

Jongdae hesitated. 

“The piece was difficult,” he decided to say, “and the dance… I’m just not used to dancing while singing.” 

Jongdae shifted in his chair nervously, the stickiness and soreness still all over his body making him wince. 

“You really expect me to introduce you to people from different entertainment companies if you can’t even dance?” he said, pushing his now finished breakfast away from him.

“But when you get accepted as a trainee, they teach you how to improve on different aspects of performing and-”

“Only if you’re bad in _one_ area, Chen. But you can’t dance, your singing is mediocre at best, you can’t play any instruments, and you’re getting overweight with the trash you eat at that _school_ ,” he said, voice turning into a hiss. “The cost for the plastic surgery you’d have to get for your face alone is a lot even for me! I want to help you, Chen, but you’re making it extremely difficult. In fact, you should be thankful I’m spending any time on you at all.” 

Silence filled the room and Jongdae’s eyes started to sting. Only the night before, Siwon had whispered his promises, his intentions. Soon he was supposed to have a chance to prove his talents at the club. Record label reps were supposed to come all for him. Just for him.

“But I… then I… what should I do Mr. Choi? I already told my parents I was a trainee and you said I’d be a trainee within a few months if I did whatever you told me to do. I can’t keep lying about where I’ve been staying, what I’ve been doing…” 

Siwon raised his eyebrows but his retort was interrupted by a loud crash from downstairs. Jongdae stood up to look out into the hall to see what was happening, but just as he turned the doorknob the door was forced open and there were hands around his neck.

“What the fuck did you do, Siwon?” said a voice dripping with anger. 

Jongdae couldn’t see the man’s face, but his hands were almost white and no amount of pulling or scratching on his part could get those hands to loosen.

“This is a rather rude way to ask for information, don’t you think so Jaejoong?” 

A few more moments of silence passed only disturbed by the sound of Jongdae struggling to breathe before he was thrown to the ground, head colliding with the corner of the dining table. After catching his breath, Jongdae looked up at the man Siwon called Jaejoong. He was definitely a lot stronger than he looked with a face perhaps even more angelic than Luhan’s. Of course by now Jongdae knew Luhan was likely no angel either. 

“I don’t know how you did it,” he said, eyes narrowing, “and I don’t know why the hell Youngmin would ever ask any favors of a bastard like you… but I swear if you _ever_ do anything to hurt Yunho again I’ll make you _want_ me to kill you.” 

By now Luhan had entered the room, standing behind Jaejoong looking mildly disheveled no doubt also thanks to Jaejoong. Siwon only held a look of pure annoyance. 

“I’m not sure where you got your information from but Phantom and Sapphire haven’t had anything to do with each other since we were kids. That and there’s only one bastard in this room and it certainly isn’t me,” Siwon said, lips, thinning. 

If possible Jaejoong seemed to get even angrier pulling out a gun and pointing it right at Siwon’s head, teeth grating at the sound of Siwon’s laugh. 

“Do you only insist on the theatrics all the time because you know you can’t actually do anything to harm me with… rather serious repercussions?” 

Jaejoong smiled.

“Maybe I can’t do anything to you _yet._ You fucking cunt.” 

Jaejoong’s gaze didn’t waver even as he redirected his gun right at Jongdae and pulled the trigger.

***

The news about Mr. Jung spread slowly amongst the lower ranking members of Phantom as a rumor, but by Monday morning most of the people who had been called to Mirotic had all heard about it. Yunho was stoic throughout the special gathering but as the meeting concluded people started to replace their original sadness and shock with anger. 

Yunho didn’t even look at Youngmin as he sat in the chair his father used to sit in, Lee Sooman acknowledging his new right hand man with a nod. Yunho naturally took Youngmin’s old position and a goofy looking kid who was supposed to take Yunho’s old position sauntered in a little bit late introducing himself to everyone one by one.

“Hello, my name is Lee Jinki, it is very nice to meet you. I have been working at Phantom’s branch in Osaka but it is good to be back home!” 

Jongin, Taemin, Minho, and Yonghwa were all in one booth, standing up to bow to their new superior. 

Jongin kept quiet most of the time but was pleasantly surprised when Taemin would turn to talk to him for a little bit every now and then. He became afraid to look in his friend’s direction though when he noticed Minho’s hands sliding up and down the blonde’s thigh keeping his gaze forward looking at Yonghwa chatting animatedly. Perhaps this is why even when Jongin hadn’t come home for three days, Taemin hadn’t bothered to call.

It felt wrong for Jongin to be sitting here after his peaceful day with Chanyeol who would no doubt be saddened by his absence from school today. He almost smiled at the thought of more post-it notes but stopped himself just in time to avoid attracting attention from the others.

“Which one of you is Kai?” A large bulky man was standing in front of their booth. 

Taemin snickered. 

“You go by Kai now? Officially?” 

Jongin ignored him and stood up.

“What is it you need?” 

The man jerked his head over to where Yunho was sitting speaking to a person Jongin had sometimes seen in passing but never spoken to.

“He wants to talk to you.”

The man Yunho was speaking to looked younger and had a round face and gently styled black hair. He wore a very slim-fitting dress shirt and tight leather pants. His hands were adorned with expensive jewelry.

“You wanted to see me sir?” Jongin said to Yunho after bowing in greeting. 

The usually cheery Yunho didn’t brighten up at all in Jongin’s presence but that made sense seeing as his father’s remains were located in every corner of Seoul the previous day.

“Junsu, this is Jongin. Jongin, this is Junsu. You work for him now. I believe you’ll be better suited for the tasks.” 

Jongin nodded his head in understanding. 

“They call you Kai, don’t they?” asked Junsu, voice more light than Jongin would’ve expected. He nodded again. “I’ll stick to calling you Kai then. Save Jongin for your friends. You can call me Xiah. I save Junsu for my friends as well. It makes the job easier.” He reached his hand out to shake Jongin’s, words not quite matching up with his actions. “I’ll respect you if you respect me. Yunho recommended you and I trust his judgement.”

***

Chanyeol sat at Jongin’s desk after school just as he had done during lunch. Alone. He had spent the period moving sitting with his food untouched, a long list of worst case scenarios running through his mind. 

Sure it wasn’t unusual for Jongin to miss school but he figured, for whatever reason, after spending time with the boy, after communicating that he would be there for him, that things might change.

But Jongin’s private life wasn’t his place even if he wanted it to be. Today instead of a post-it note he had another gift: a tiny bear keychain from Mrs. Cha’s store which had a blue bow tied around its neck.

Jongin’s favorite color. 

It had only been one weekend and already Chanyeol was acting just the way Baekhyun did around Taeyeon. Just admitting it made his palms sweat, his heart race. There was no denying it. He was attracted to Jongin. Hopelessly so. 

Gently poking the teddy bear until it was time for him to go to work, Chanyeol made his way out to the school’s entrance. Just as he turned onto the sidewalk outside of the gate something cold touched his hand making him jump and turn around.

“Hey,” Jongin said, eyes and skin glowing in the afternoon sun. In each hand he held one cup of iced coffee. “On your way to work?”

Chanyeol’s lonely day and worry was wiped from his thoughts at the sight. 

“Sure am.”

“Do you mind if I sit inside like last time?” Jongin asked, eyes looking a bit nervous.

It didn’t occur to Chanyeol in that moment to ask where Jongin had been. Life might be complicated, but whatever this was - if it even _was_ anything - this could be simple. 

This could be happiness.


	13. Act I: Chapter XII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT I: Baekhyun wanted to get into Yonsei, Jongdae wanted to sing, and Chanyeol was determined to make their last year of high school the best of their lives.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Jongin  
> Scene II - Jongdae  
> Scene III - Jongin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Jongin sat in the passenger seat of the most expensive car he’d ever seen, Xiah at the wheel. It was late at night but his day with Chanyeol was still fresh in his memory. The events surrounding Mr. Jung’s death had shaken all of Phantom, even Jongin who made it a point to stay away from the gang’s activities as much as possible despite it being little more than a week since he had been Youngmin’s errand boy.

Getting the coffee for Chanyeol was kind of a spur of the moment idea when Taemin asked if he wanted to hangout with him and the rest of the guys the remainder of the day. By now Jongin had gone out of his way to avoid Taemin if he was with Minho, and when Taemin had posed the question to him, Minho had groaned and rolled his eyes, slipping his arm around Taemin’s shoulder.

By the time he got to school he knew he had made the right decision seeing Chanyeol light up like that. He was funny when he was excited and after Jongin had been a burden to him all weekend, coffee was the least he could do. Whenever he was with Chanyeol, Phantom ceased to exist in his mind just like it had during that weekend at the hospital. But when Jongin was with Phantom, he usually tried not to think about Chanyeol either. It was important to keep his two worlds separate. That’s what he decided when he became Chanyeol’s friend - when Chanyeol became his escape.

In the darkness of the car his hand reached down to his backpack, fingers brushing over the soft material of the teddy bear keychain. Chanyeol really shouldn’t be spending money on him like this. Still the trinket radiated warmth in the quiet hum of the cold car. That’s what Chanyeol did, he radiated heat that made Jongin feel warm and sleepy and safe. He didn’t quite understand it, but he liked it.

“You’re in high school?” Xiah asked all of a sudden.

“Yes.”

“Interesting?”

“Sometimes.”

“Play sports?”

“No time. Phantom…” Xiah laughed sort of like a dolphin. 

“I was on my high school’s soccer team with my brother and Yunho. That’s how we started hanging out.”

“So you knew Yunho before he was in Phantom?” 

“No,” Xiah said, looking a bit melancholy, “he was always in Phantom. Never really had a choice. We ran around pretending to be our own gang though. Called ourselves the Rising Gods of the East.” 

Jongin looked out the window surprised to see the lights of Seoul getting more distant. 

“That’s an… interesting name.”

“That’s how teenage boys are. They think they’re immortal and all-knowing. Top of the world.” 

Jongin didn’t really know how to respond. 

“Who else was in the group with you?” 

“Yoochun, Jaejoong… and Changmin joined towards the end. He was a freshman while the rest of us were graduating but he was Yunho’s neighbor and always hung out around us growing up. He’s in college now being way too smart for his own good.” 

Jongin recalled meeting Changmin once but it’s true he hadn’t seen him around Mirotic since.

“What’s your brother’s name? I might have met him once doing stuff for Mr. Kim.” 

Xiah shook his head.

“He got his head bashed in senior year. That’s when Yunho and the rest of us realized it wasn’t a game anymore.” The car pulled up to some type of inn off the side of the highway. “I was angry when he was killed. Most would take that chance to get out of the business but I was so angry I threw myself in full force. It was a long time before I realized that I wasn’t angry anymore.” He sighed, unlocking the car doors. “Are you angry about something, Kai?” he asked.

“No.”

“Good.”

Instead of going inside the lodging, Xiah took two shovels out from the trunk and led Jongin deep into the woods. He thought about how Chanyeol probably loved forests. He’d probably run around trying to capture bugs. 

He shouldn’t be thinking of Chanyeol right now.

“Are we… we’re not like… going to bury a body right now are we?”

“It has been a long time since I’ve had to do that. But no, not today. We will be burying this though,” he said pulling out a small box from his pocket. “We’re not on official business tonight, I just wanted company. Think of this as a preliminary field trip.”

Choosing a spot between a large boulder and a tree the two of them started to dig. Xiah didn’t seem to mind his fancy clothes getting all dirty. After about half an hour they hit a shoebox-sized concrete container and it took the two of them at least another ten minutes to open the lid. Xiah held the smaller black box in front of his face.

“This is a long shot, Kai. I don’t know how long you’ll be in Phantom but you’ll probably be in Seoul for a while. My job is to make things disappear, but it’s important you remember where this is. If Yunho ever asks for this, tell him where to find it.” 

Jongin looked at the box slightly curious about the life of his seniors and nodded quickly when he realized Xiah was waiting for his response.

“Such a mess these days,” Xiah said with a sigh.

With that he tossed it carelessly into the concrete box, covering it with dirt again. They didn’t talk the rest of the way back to Seoul and Jongin’s thoughts slowly drifted back to Chanyeol making the midnight ride a little warmer. 

***

Jongdae flinched when Luhan removed the bandages from around his shoulder, gently dragging his fingers around the wound he had gotten that morning. A record was playing what Jongdae assumed was popular Chinese music from the 60’s or 70’s. Their shared room in the annex basement frequently had this type of music playing making Luhan’s usual silence not as noticeable when it was just the two of them.

Unlike Jongdae, Luhan lived here full time. The corner closest to the end of his bed had trunks and chests stacked up somewhat artfully, at the top of which sat a vinyl record player, arguably Luhan’s most prized possession. Jongdae’s side of the room was rather plain with a handful of stage outfits and items from his school uniform sticking out of an old suitcase, his textbooks stacked against the wall.

“It’s not bad,” Luhan said after everything was bandaged up again. “He didn’t hit anything important on purpose. I hear Jaejoong is a lot of things but he’s not a murderer. Just don’t go bumping into things for the next week or so.”

Siwon had left after agonizing over his ruined collection of pottery, damaged table, and bloody floorboards - the total result of Jaejoong’s sudden shooting spree. Jongdae was unnerved by the sight of his own blood but apparently both Siwon and Luhan had seen such violence before and weren’t phased by or worried about Jongdae’s state. Siwon hadn’t even looked at him when he left.

Now Siwon was probably getting himself settled in Hong Kong where he’d be until the drama died down in Seoul. All he knew was that Siwon liked to be entertained and people going into hysterics and shooting up his house did not put him in a good mood. Luhan explained that a high ranking member of a powerful gang in Seoul was murdered and the man who shot him was under the impression it was Siwon’s fault.

“Well… was it?” Jongdae asked. The two were now sitting in their own beds, Luhan playing solitaire over his freshly ironed sheets. “Was it that Sapphire thing he mentioned?” 

Luhan sighed.

“The state of Sapphire isn’t my concern. I get orders from abroad for things that matter. As such, I’m not sure who exactly killed the man, but I’m the one who took care of his disposal. It’s actually a bit amusing that your blood is staining the kitchen floor and not mine,” Luhan said with a yawn. It took a few moments to fully process all of this new information especially since Jongdae wasn’t used to Luhan engaging in a conversation with him for this long or giving him such seemingly sensitive information. Maybe he felt more guilty about Jongdae’s injury than he let on.

“You… you kill people?” Luhan leaned back in his bed, bare feet pushing all of his playing cards into a pile.

“No. I was given a corpse and was told to get rid of it in a way that people would notice so I chopped it up and mailed it to a bunch of different high society idiots who would appreciate it.” 

Jongdae stared at the man, dumbfounded. 

“Where did you even do all of this? When did this happen?”

“In the bathtub,” Luhan said, nodding towards their bathroom door. “You weren’t here that night.”

“Sounds like a pain in the ass job,” he said, ignoring the sweat forming at the back of his neck. 

Luhan looked over to him curiously now, the palm of his hand rising up to support his head, blonde locks slightly falling in front of his eyes.

“What’s your deal anyway? Regular high school kid from Seoul ends up in a place like this?” Jongdae reached over to grab his pillow settling it in his lap as he leaned back against the wall. “Siwon’s not here,” Luhan continued, “let's get to know each other.” Instead of staying in his own bed, Luhan climbed onto Jongdae’s folding his legs and leaning back on his hands. “Just tell me the interesting bits though.” When Jongdae hesitated Luhan spoke up again. “Tell me how you met Siwon.” 

He blushed.

“Well… uh… I guess earlier this year I went to Super Junior's for the first time. I read online that they didn’t card so… even then I really wanted to sing in front of people on stage but I hadn’t really told anyone. I’d joke about it every now and then and sing in funny voices to make my friends laugh but that was it. I’m not sure what was going on that night, but random people could just go on stage and sing. The band there knew tons of songs so I gave it a try. I noticed Siwon when I was up there since he’s kind of hard to miss and when he came up afterwards and told me how good I was it just made me happy… no one ever told me that before. Soon I visited whenever I could then eventually I learned he was the owner of the place so he let me do all sorts of odd jobs.” 

Luhan started waving his hand in the air dismissively. 

“Skip ahead. When did you start sleeping with him? You’re obviously not a hooker.” 

Jongdae scratched his head again half out of embarrassment. 

“I got into a fight with one of my friends and ran here to just… let out my frustrations. I sang, got a huge applause, and Siwon was there. He knew I was upset so he bought me drinks… I knew exactly what I was doing and Siwon had been nothing but kind to me all that time and the person I like… doesn’t like me back so… I guess I just wanted to _feel_ like I was wanted, you know?” 

“So you kept it up?”

“Yeah.”

“And you like it?”

“What?” 

“Do you like what Siwon does to you?”

“I…” Jongdae hesitated and Luhan jumped in again.

“Go home Chen.”

“What?” 

Luhan hopped off of Jongdae’s bed and pulled out the younger’s small suitcase from under it.

“Leave. Go home. Figure your shit out. Figure out what you _really_ want. Siwon won’t come looking for you. He’s not that invested. But if you ever come back, come back knowing that it means you leave everything else behind.”

***

When Jongin opened the door to his shared apartment he was surprised to see Taemin on the couch - a blob of gray in his oversized sweatpants and sweatshirt, bare feet poking out from underneath. Jongin tensed up for a moment but relaxed when he didn’t see Minho around and when Taemin turned his head to look at him he noticed his childhood friend’s eyes were red with tears.

“Hi Jongin…” he said. “Do you wanna hangout or are you going to bed?” 

Jongin shook his head, walking over to the couch. The only other time he had seen Taemin quite like this was when he thought a family was about to adopt Jongin leaving him all alone again. 

When he sat down Taemin scooted a little closer. Out of habit their heads leaned closer together. 

“What happened, Tae?” 

“I’ve been ignoring you.”

“That’s not why you’re upset.” 

Jongin pulled the hood off of Taemin’s head, natural roots springing through his bleached mop. 

“I… I think I’m in love with Minho. But tonight. I thought we were just fooling around with the rest of the guys. But they killed a man. For no reason. I got so mad and it was so scary? I’ve never seen…” 

Jongin brought his friend closer so that they were leaning chest to chest. Taemin knew Jongin’s tears very well. When Jongin cried it was loud and ugly but Taemin’s tears were always silent. When they were kids no one would ever know he was upset even though sometimes he’d tell Jongin after it was all over. Just Jongin.

“Where is he now?”

“With Yonghwa. He said he didn’t need me, that I was immature… he said he didn’t want me if I was acting this way. That’s what he said when I told him how I felt. I told him I loved him but what he was doing was wrong.” 

After a while Taemin curled in on himself but Jongin still didn’t leave him.

“He’ll come around, Taemin.”

“It was a homeless man. They beat him up. Minho’s the one… he’s the one who pulled the final trigger. I should’ve stopped them. But I was so confused…” 

The two eventually fell asleep on the couch feeling perhaps for the first time in a long time like children. 


	14. Act I: Chapter XIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT I: Baekhyun wanted to get into Yonsei, Jongdae wanted to sing, and Chanyeol was determined to make their last year of high school the best of their lives.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Chanyeol  
> Scene II - Baekhyun  
> Scene III - Chanyeol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Chanyeol waited by the school gates eagerly bouncing on the balls of his feet. It didn’t matter that classes had already begun for the day, he just wanted to wish Jongin a good morning even if the boy was running late. But he _would_ come. He’d said so himself. 

And part of Chanyeol knew he should slow down, knew that in all likelihood everything he was feeling was one-sided. But by the time he got home the previous night going on and on about Jongin’s _everything_ , Sooyoung had thrown her workbook at him in frustration. Sooyoung was anything but a hopeless romantic. She was a smart girl, after all. Yet despite warnings from everyone who cared about him, Chanyeol was finished fighting off his feelings. He’d ride this wave wherever it took him. Being Jongin’s friend, someone Jongin could trust, someone Jongin could look up to were all equally important as being a hand he could hold.

His cheeks reddened a bit as he remembered the way he acted when giving Jongin the teddy bear charm. After working through a decent part of his shift he was all sweaty and wreaked of fried chicken. Even though he tried to be cool about it, he still stuttered when telling Jongin it wasn’t a big deal, but he bought him something. The boy had smiled and he wanted to hug him, but he didn’t. The last thing Chanyeol wanted to do was make Jongin uncomfortable.

Chanyeol took a steadying breath. Today he would ask Jongin to see _Iron Man_ with him. Already getting permission to not come into work Friday night, Chanyeol bought the tickets redeeming a stack of coupons Mrs. Cha gave him. It would play out just like it did on TV: they’d watch the movie and end up holding hands because he noticed Jongin had a habit of flinching when there were loud noises and the explosions in _Iron Man_ would create an excuse for him to reach across the armrest. That and maybe after it was over they’d find an ice cream stand and Chanyeol could finally tell the freshman how much he cared about him then they’d hug and move in together and buy a dog.

Or a chinchilla. 

When he finally caught sight of Jongin he waved like a madman but deflated a little bit when he saw Lee Taemin walking with him.

“Kim Jongin! Good morning!” he called, “and Taemin, it’s surprising to see you here.” 

Jongin waved back and Taemin looked around like he was uncomfortable before leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest in the sort of stance that Chanyeol was more used to seeing on the student. Jongin looked back and forth between them.

“Tae, you can stay if you want. Why don’t you come in and talk to the headmaster?”

“No, it’s alright. I said I’d walk with you here but… I’m gonna go… uh… to the park. Just to think. I’ll see you later.” 

Jongin watched his friend walk away for a few moments before turning back to Chanyeol.

“You were waiting for me?” Chanyeol snapped out of his little daze and nodded his head letting the presence of Jongin wash over him like it usually did. “You didn’t have to. Let's go inside.” 

The two began to walk across the soccer field and Chanyeol was debating whether to ask Jongin about the movie now or later.

“Do you want to eat lunch outside today? The classrooms have been a bit humid lately,” he decided to say instead. “Maybe we could even eat in the park, unless you prefer behind the school in your usual spot instead. I’m really fine with anything!” 

“That’s ok, I really need to eat inside today. I have a math test this afternoon that I absolutely cannot fail.” 

Chanyeol kept smiling.

“I’ll see you there then!” 

By then they had already reached the front door and Jongin made a small sound of acknowledgement, parting from Chanyeol with a distracted gaze.

***

Baekhyun sat at the dining table, watching Jongdae as his chest rose and fell peacefully fast asleep on the couch of Baekhyun’s home. In his hands, Baekhyun turned his cell phone over and over again, contemplating.

Jongdae had shown up on his doorstep completely distraught early in the morning just after his mother had gone to work, telling him a patchwork story of only bad things. After Baekhyun sat him down and saw the bandaged gunshot wound for himself he instantly sprang up to call the police but Jongdae stopped him. Then began the arguing, then another one of his panic attacks, then him begging Jongdae to stay, promising he wouldn’t tell a soul.

He ran his hand over the buttons on his phone again, ignoring another call from Kyungsoo. If it were any other situation, Baekhyun would have answered seeing as he had never missed a day of school in his life and Kyungsoo was doubtlessly worried. But he didn’t trust himself. He needed time with Jongdae’s secrets, to accept them. 

From their argument Baekhyun had gathered that he lied to his parents about being accepted as a trainee at the agency Zitao was in because he didn’t want them to know he was working at a club but now he couldn’t work at the club because _something_ happened, something with bad people who injured him. When Baekhyun had started asking for details he just started shouting insults about him and Chanyeol and even Taeyeon. But Jongdae didn’t mean it. He got that way when he was stressed sometimes.

Still, nothing made sense.

There was always the possibility of calling for an ambulance but the second they heard or saw anything relating to guns the police would get involved and Baekhyun got the message loud and clear from Jongdae that he didn’t want the cops to know anything. Baekhyun had never even seen a gun in his entire life. There was no reason Jongdae should’ve been any closer to such a weapon than he was even if he _did_ work at a club. 

Baekhyun rubbed his hand on his shoulder where it hit the wall when Jongdae pushed him. His friend had immediately ran over to him and started to apologize, holding his face, checking him over like he was made of glass. 

“Baek?” 

Baekhyun stilled at the sound of Jongdae’s scratchy voice. 

“What?”

“Just trust me. Don’t ask questions. I’m back now. I’m gonna… change.” 

He sighed, turning to look towards the couch. 

“I don’t want you to change, I just want you to be happy and safe and right now you seem like you’re neither.” He waited for a response but continued when he got none. “Don’t you understand why I’m so worried? Someone shot you! This isn’t a game. We can’t argue like children about this.”

“I’m fine, really,” Jongdae said after a while, sitting up more. “Don’t tell Chanyeol just yet though. He’s already had enough to deal with.” 

Baekhyun put his head in his hands, listening to the sound of Jongdae’s footsteps coming closer. The warmth of his friend's hand did little to calm his mind but he leaned into the touch anyway.

“This is not a good idea. This is not how this situation should be handled. I’m afraid for you. You mean the world to me so… even if you won’t tell me everything, just tell me what I need to do to help you.”

***

It was halfway through lunch and Jongin still hadn’t touched his food, instead pouring over pages of notes and practice problems. Chanyeol usually thought it was cute when Jongin studied, but today there was sweat on his forehead as his eyebrows knitted together in frustration. 

“Don’t worry Jongin, I’m sure you’ll do fine! You study so hard!” 

“No,” he said, “when I study hard I barely manage to pass and I didn’t get to study last night like I wanted to. I really can’t flunk another test…” 

When his thumb moved to press more graphite out of his mechanical pencil, nothing appeared. He pressed it several more times in succession eventually leaning back in his chair and throwing the thing to the side.

“Hey it’s ok Jongin. I can-”

“If you loved someone but they did something horrible, would you still love them?” 

Chanyeol was taken aback by the sudden question expecting something about algebra if anything at all. Regardless, Jongin saying “love” made his insides tighten. 

“I don’t think you can choose to stop loving someone, but I would be hurt and disappointed if they did something bad.”

“Oh,” Jongin said looking back down to a list of equations. 

Chanyeol looked on silently as Jongin continued to study, movie tickets burning a hole in his pocket. He took a deep breath.

“Hey, do you-”

“Can you be quiet for the next few minutes? I think this is the last of the stuff I have to know.” 

Chanyeol gulped and nodded, dragging his fingers across his lap and looking out the window. He could still see Jongin in the reflection, studying away. Chanyeol wished he would ask him for help, wished he would tell him what was on his mind. Odds are he was just being a bother.

“Do you want me to leave?”

“No!” Jongin practically shouted, head shooting up in alarm. “Just… stay… and shhh. Please?” 

Cheering up a little bit, Chanyeol sat diligently by his friend.

Lunch ended silently and soon other freshmen were walking back into the classroom. Chanyeol debated giving Jongin a squeeze on the shoulder for good luck but couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“I’ll see you later?” Jongin asked, just as Chanyeol was about to make a quiet exit. 

The hope in his voice made Chanyeol’s heart pound. He nodded vigorously, raising his fist and mouthing “fighting” before shuffling out of the classroom, passing the math teacher as she walked in. He stood there for a little while longer not caring that he’d be late for lab, watching Jongin turn over his test immediately scribbling down answers. Chanyeol knew it would be ok. Jongin could do anything he set his mind to.


	15. Act I: Chapter XIV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT I: Baekhyun wanted to get into Yonsei, Jongdae wanted to sing, and Chanyeol was determined to make their last year of high school the best of their lives.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Junmyeon  
> Scene II - Jongin  
> Scene III - Jongin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Junmyeon never thought that after being transferred to Homicide he’d be entering a high school under such normal circumstances. Sungji High School definitely wasn’t one of the nicer places he’d ever visited, but the aura was still much different than what he was used to after two years volunteering time at the Juvenile Detention Center. 

Beside him, Youngwoon shuffled almost awkwardly and before too long they were leaving the main building and walking along a trampled dirt path to the gymnasium escorted by a teacher who seemingly couldn’t care less. Inside they hadn’t been there for long before Junmyeon could already feel himself sweating, fans high up in the rafters not doing much to cool the place even without the presence of a hoard of teenagers.

“Bo-ah is only making us do this because she’s pissed at me. See how I’m treated? No respect,” Youngwoon grumbled, more or less repeating the same things he had unloaded to Junmyeon in the car on the way over. 

Junmyeon had learned by now to not answer these types of remarks, fully accepting his role as a living off-the-record log book. Unlike his partner, Junmyeon was quite excited about this assignment. He had always loved teaching and firmly believed it was never a bad day to inspire the youth. 

Today they’d be giving a presentation about safety, self defense, the value of the police force, and a short Q&A about their work. Junmyeon first realized he wanted to be a police officer when he had seen a similar presentation during his first year of middle school and it wasn’t until the end of high school when his friends realized that his “police phase” wasn’t going to end. He applied during senior year and ended up graduating in record time with top scores. 

He dragged out a folding table from one of the closets the teacher pointed him to and hurriedly set up all of their supplies while the first of the students were beginning to make their way into the building. One of them tapped him on the shoulder.

“Hello, my name is Do Kyungsoo. I am the senior class president. Thank you for coming to our school Officer Kim and… uh… Officer Kim.” 

Youngwoon was standing beside Junmyeon now looking amused. The boy was short, pale, and had large round eyes. Junmyeon would have called him adorable but that would not have been appropriate. A vibrating sound came from the boy’s pocket and he bowed politely before whipping out his phone.

“Byun Baekhyun where are you?” he hissed into the device before turning to walk away.

As expected, most of the students went straight for the back row of the bleachers. He could easily see all of the cliques and sighed to himself. High school would never change. 

After the presentation had begun and Youngwoon was starting the segment on walking home with a buddy after dark, Junmyeon’s eyes landed on a familiar boy towards the end of a row of bleachers about a quarter of the way back. Next to him was a taller kid seemingly trying to engage him in a humorous whispered conversation. Junmyeon smiled when their eyes met and gave the boy a nod. It had been a long time since they’d seen each other.

When the assembly was over, Junmyeon was happy to see the boy making his way towards him with his tall friend in tow.

“Jongin,” he said, “it’s nice to see you back in school. I trust everything is going well?” 

The boy nodded.

“As well as it can be I think. I had a really hard test today but this guy here says that I probably did ok.”

“Better than ok,” Jongin’s friend spoke up, “Kim Jongin is the best!” Junmyeon was a bit taken aback by his enthusiasm but smiled when he saw a blush creeping up on Jongin’s face. “But how do you know Jongin, Officer Kim?” the kid asked. 

He saw Jongin shake his head a little bit from side to side so he assumed his friend didn’t quite know his full story yet.

“I’m a family friend,” he ended up lying. “I haven’t seen Jongin for quite some time though. Are you two friends or…?” now both of them were blushing.

“I’m Park Chanyeol. Jongin is my friend. He’s great.”

“Indeed, Jongin is a great person,” Junmyeon said. “We should catch up sometime when you’re not busy. Like I said earlier, reach out for help if you ever need it. The police are always here to lend a hand.” 

He watched Jongin dig his heels into the gym floor nervously. The boy had changed a lot since the first time Junmyeon had seen him while volunteering at the center. He wasn’t as thin, wasn’t as angry, and he looked like he was really trying to create a better life for himself. It was heartening to see the result of the system truly helping someone reform.

Just then, Youngwoon shouted at him from the gym’s exit and pointed to the box Junmyeon had yet to pack up.

“Make sure to keep an eye on him, Chanyeol,” he added in farewell, “keep this kid out of trouble!” 

***

On Thursday afternoon Jongin found out he failed his math test and was called to the headmaster’s office because of it. He passed Chanyeol on his way, head ducked down so he couldn’t see his face in an attempt to hide his own embarrassment and disappointment in himself. He still heard the elder rushing after him but with the help of crowded hallways managed to reach the headmaster’s office before Chanyeol had a chance to get a word in. 

“Sungji is a place for students to build the foundation for their future. This,” the woman said waving his test in the air, “is another prime example of you not taking your education seriously. You have a lengthy record of unexcused absences from school, every single one of your teachers has said that you never do your work properly, _and_ they say you are a disturbance in the classroom.” 

Jongin stood still, hands gripped tightly by his side. He was ready to admit to the headmaster that he struggled with math, that his less than quality education had stopped when he was twelve and thanks to some strings Yunho pulled, he essentially skipped all of middle school. No matter how hard he tried to catch up, nothing was working. But to accuse him of everything else? He was at school late almost every single night studying. In class he never said a word but kids still whispered about him, glancing back every now and then to see if he’d do anything weird or violent but he never did. He hadn’t for a long time. It didn’t stop other students, and apparently now teachers, from spreading rumors though, from telling lies.

“That’s not true,” he croaked out, always bad at speaking to adults he didn’t know, but the headmaster chose to ignore him. 

“We have no room here for delinquents in our student body so straighten up or leave with the rest of those lowlifes you run around with.”

Jongin wasn’t sure what urged him to press the issue, but he found himself speaking before he could think.

“What you’re saying about me is false and unfair!”

The woman leaned back in offense, but her eyes quickly narrowed. 

“Are you _speaking back_ to me?” 

“Yeah, what if I am? It’s not my fault you’re a failure of an educator. You’re supposed to be motivating your students, not trying to get them to give up! Do you even for one second _wonder_ what happens to students like Lee Taemin or Choi Minho? Do you even _know_ what their life is like outside of this place? For a lot of kids this is their only chance at a better life. We may not all be brilliant or proper but we try to be and people like you don’t even want to acknowledge it!” 

The teacher glared at him, teeth digging into bright red tinted lips as she pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose.

“I’ve had enough of this. Consider yourself suspended.” 

Jongin noticed Chanyeol's gangly form the second he stormed out of the office, bolting ahead down the stairwell and around to the back of the school. There were still a couple hours left of class so nobody was outside.

Everything around him felt cold except for the anger simmering deep in his gut. How badly he wanted to punch something, turn over that woman’s desk, throw every single one of her tiny trinkets out the window, and expose her and this entire place to the world. But Jongin couldn’t be like that. Jongin couldn’t find it in himself to ever hurt anyone. Not anymore. No excuses.

He heard Chanyeol’s footsteps shortly before he saw his shadow. Jongin found himself needing him closer. He needed the coldness he felt to go away so when he felt the tears coming he didn’t stop them and soon Chanyeol was in front of him, hands hesitating and unsure.

Chanyeol and him were different. They’d end up on completely separate paths because he was nothing and Chanyeol was a gentle, hardworking, and a caring son, brother, and friend. Chanyeol, who made him feel like he had a chance in the regular world leading a regular life, deserved so much more than him as a friend but right now Jongin needed him to stay. 

When Jongin felt the elder’s arms wrap around him and bring him close, all of the coldness and anger he felt disappeared, replaced only with sorrow. It only occurred to him then that Chanyeol had never really touched him like this before. He was always close, always lending a hand, always catching him, but never like this. This feeling was unexplainable. 

He should let Chanyeol go. Instead, he was going to let Chanyeol help him.

***

“So let me get this straight,” Baekhyun said leaning back in his chair, “Chanyeol has been practically ignoring my existence these past weeks because he’s been with _you_.” 

It was nearing ten at night on Friday and Baekhyun, Kyungsoo, and Jongin were sitting at a table together at Chanyeol’s request, waiting for him to finally emerge from the kitchen at the chicken restaurant.

Kyungsoo had his books spread out in front of him using multiple napkin dispensers to create a fortress between him and the greasy food the other two had ordered. In his hands were Jongin’s math tests from the entire year thus far.

Jongin didn’t answer Baekhyun, choosing instead to pull up his hoodie and stuff his hands in his pockets. He wasn’t a fan of talking to people he didn’t know even if it’s what Chanyeol had probably planned for. The elder had assured him that he’d help him with his studies but Jongin thought it would be Chanyeol teaching him, not his other friends. 

“And now all of a sudden he’s asking Kyungsoo and I to help you not flunk out? I mean aren’t you already suspended?” 

Jongin scowled. 

“Look, I didn’t ask for this, he just told me to wait here after evening lessons usually end. It isn’t the first time I’ve come here either.” 

That seemed to momentarily shock Baekhyun enough for the boy to stop talking and Kyungsoo took the chance to step in, his voice considerably calmer.

“Jongin, do you not know how to do long division?” Kyungsoo asked, still gazing down at his tests.

“I do. I taught myself but I still mess up a lot and I’m slow at it.”

“Ok, how about formulas? Can you tell me how to find the slope of a line?” Kyungsoo asked, looking at him directly now. Jongin couldn’t answer. “Can you define for me what an asymptote is?” Still, Jongin stayed silent. “See Baekhyun, I think we have more important things to be discussing than Chanyeol’s and Jongin’s relationship with each other. This test is worse than the one I helped Jongdae with.”

Looking back at Baekhyun, Jongin was surprised to find him looking legitimately upset. 

“No, Kyungsoo. The more Chanyeol or Jongdae ignore me, the worse things get and I’m brought in as backup to pick up the pieces. I was very clear months ago that Chanyeol should stay away from this guy yet here we are. You can’t even imagine the types of people he associates with outside of school. It’s dangerous.” 

Jongin tried to calm himself even as his palms began to sweat. He could only put up with being in social situations like this if he had Taemin there to do the talking… or maybe Chanyeol would do now too. Someone to voice for him all the things jumbled inside his head unable to come out.

“Whatever you think I am is wrong. I’ve helped Chanyeol out and Chanyeol has helped me. We’re friends,” he whispered. 

“Well I sure don’t want my lifelong friend getting to know a thug. I know you’ve been arrested - Kyungsoo has seen it in your school records - so stop trying to indoctrinate Chanyeol into your life because Taemin left you to fend for yourself. Leave my friend alone and go back to wherever it is you came from before he gets hurt! If you _really_ cared about Chanyeol, you wouldn’t be here!” 

Now Jongin was staring at both Baekhyun and Kyungsoo, anger prickling his insides. If Taemin were here, Baekhyun would have a broken nose. But if Taemin were here, he might’ve actually agreed with this senior too. He probably would’ve burned that stupid teddy bear keychain, he probably wouldn’t have given Chanyeol the time of day… but Jongin had because he was curious. Now he always felt warm whenever he was with Chanyeol, like the older boy was a bonfire. The warmth spread everywhere in his body in a sensation that had never occurred with Taemin, even when they held onto each other in the past when their lives literally depended on it. 

When Baekhyun’s eyes widened, Jongin noticed it was because Chanyeol was now standing a few feet away, anger set on his face like he had never seen before as he looked at his longtime friend. He must’ve heard everything since Baekhyun had been raising his voice and a good number of people in the restaurant had turned to look in their direction. 

Without warning, Chanyeol ripped Jongin’s tests from Kyungsoo’s hands and slung his bag over his shoulder. Grabbing onto Jongin’s hoodie, Chanyeol started speed walking towards the exit making Jongin trip a little as he was tugged out of his chair leaving a shocked Baekhyun and a tired Kyungsoo behind.


	16. Act I: Chapter XV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT I: Baekhyun wanted to get into Yonsei, Jongdae wanted to sing, and Chanyeol was determined to make their last year of high school the best of their lives.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Jongin  
> Scene II - Chanyeol  
> Scene III - Jongin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Jongin almost had to jog to keep up with Chanyeol’s large strides, aching grip on his wrist not letting up at all as they walked across the green of the empty park. The night was crisp and damp and Jongin could already feel his socks getting wet through his canvas shoes as he continued to shuffle along, increasingly overwhelmed by a sense of shame. 

Chanyeol hadn’t turned to face him and hadn’t said a word to him since they left the restaurant and while warmth still sparked through the pain of the senior’s hold on his wrist, the rest of Jongin’s body was cold with fear. Baekhyun’s words had rung loud and clear and now Chanyeol would need to come to terms with it and with everything Jongin was, even the things Jongin himself didn’t want to be. 

Eventually they reached a bench away from the main path and Chanyeol let go to set down Jongin’s bag and began to look through the tests in his hands.

“Order of operations,” he said eventually. “We… we can start with that. Come sit.”

Perhaps Chanyeol realized his voice sounded as weak as he thought it did because he made no move to say anything else even when Jongin stayed standing several paces away on the gravel trail. 

“Chanyeol… it’s ok. Give me my things and I can leave. I-”

“I won’t let you leave,” Chanyeol interrupted a bit harshly. “I mean… I don’t _want_ you to leave even if you think you should. Forget what Baekhyun said. Forget all of it. He had no right.”

Jongin reached up to wipe the wetness from his eyes, keeping his hands there as he internally counted to three trying to regain control of himself. 

“He wasn’t wrong,” he said.

“Well I care about you and nothing Baekhyun can say will change that.”

“Well it should, Chanyeol! Maybe it should!” Jongin snapped. He averted his eyes from Chanyeol as the older boy stood up.

“Why do you keep trying to act like you’re a bad person?”

“Because I _am_.”

“No, you had your choices taken away. You said as much yourself.”

“You don’t know me,” he shot back, tone weary.

“I know all I need to know to want you in my life. If you truly don’t want that then I’ll respect your choice. And I’m sorry, Jongin. I’m sorry for not setting people straight when I’d hear them whispering about you in the halls, I’m sorry for not being there for you when you were being overworked, and I’m sorry for not being able to help you properly when you finally opened up and asked for it. I want that to change,” Chanyeol said, taking another step forward. 

“But that’s not the only thing I want to change. You are… you are _incredible_ , you’re really amazing and helpful and kind. You’re a hard worker and you keep to yourself and you mess up sometimes but that’s human. You’re _human_. I think you’re young and have so many opportunities left in front of you and I’ll be damned if anyone pressures you to throw those opportunities away. I think you’re mysterious and cute and brave all at the same time somehow even when you don’t mean to be.”

Jongin began shaking his head but still stood rooted to the spot when Chanyeol took yet another step closer. 

“I’m… I’m attracted to you. I really, really like you, Jongin. I want to know everything about you, everything that you’re willing to tell me because I accept it. I accept all of you. I want to hug you when you need comforting, I want to make sure when you cry it won’t be alone, I want to experience so many things with you and this might seem a little bit creepy but these feelings I’ve had have been growing since before you even spoke to me, since the first time I saw you from afar. I know you might not think of yourself that positively but… but even with the stuff Baekhyun said, it just makes me want to stand by you even more. I feel for you something I have not felt towards anyone _in my life._ It makes me feel foolish to admit it to myself but fine. So what if it makes me a fool? I’ll want you in any way you’ll have me, even if you won’t have me at all.”

***

Chanyeol watched, heart aching as even after all the words had tumbled from his mouth, a singular cry ripped through Jongin’s body, arms wrapped around himself and face pointed towards the ground. He began to shake and shiver so badly that Chanyeol could not help but to take another step closer, the want to be near Jongin unbearable. 

Through the trees the moon could be seen, some stars not completely drowned out by the lights of Seoul. Even in this state, Jongin was beautiful.

“C-can… can you hold me?” Jongin asked so quietly if it weren’t for the silence of the night he might’ve never heard him.

“Yes,” he said, “yes I can.”

And with that, Chanyeol took a final large stride closer. Jongin wrapped his arms around him and began openly sobbing, warm tears seeping into the fabric of Chanyeol’s shoulder. He did his best to soothe the younger student, did his best to somehow share whatever pain he was feeling, to take the burden from him. He ran his hands up and down Jongin’s back, rocked them side to side, and combed his fingers through his soft hair. It could have been five minutes or thirty but eventually Jongin quieted down, all of his weight leaning into Chanyeol’s body.

“I think…” Jongin whispered, “I want you in every way… but… I know I shouldn’t. I know it would ruin me when you leave me anyway, when you’re taken from me anyway.” 

Chanyeol smiled into Jongin’s hair, stilling their swaying motion.

“No one can take me away from you. I promise you with all that I am, _no one_ will.”

***

The warmth from Chanyeol was engulfing him, pushing away any and all of the anxiety and sorrow he had felt that night. Now he understood what that warmth was and everything about it was terrifying. 

“Can I hold your hand, Jongin?” Chanyeol asked him eventually.

“Yes…”

An arm that was wrapped around him let go to reach for this left hand, playing with his fingers one by one until he held all of them gently. He had never noticed how big Chanyeol’s hands were, how rough. 

Jongin sniffled a few times more before forcing himself to breathe calmly. It was so quiet in the park and while he would’ve once thought it eerie, now it was soothing.

“Tell me what else you think about me,” Chanyeol said, warm breath fanning over his ear.

“You’re tall.”

“Mhm.”

“And funny.”

“Always.”

“And safe. I feel safe when you’re around. When you leave I get into situations where it feels like everything is out of control and I panic. If I’m nervous… I just think about you, think about what you’d say if you were there with me,” he said, voice cracking as tears threatened to fall again. 

“Can I…” Chanyeol breathed, “can I try kissing you, Jongin?” 

The heat Jongin felt in his face matched the redness of Chanyeol’s when he shifted his position, leaning back to look properly into Chanyeol’s face. A moment of bravery. Just a moment was all he needed to say it.

“Please…” 

The breath Jongin felt on his nose was like an approaching tidal wave, hair swinging from Chanyeol’s forehead to his, fingers creeping up to his face to bring him ever closer.

Their eyes were closed when their lips met, somewhat chapped and inexperienced. When Jongin felt Chanyeol’s lips move against his, he copied, gasping when the elder’s arms guided him backwards to press against a tree before surging forward to kiss him again. Soon, shyly, a tongue was slipping past his teeth, bringing on a heat more intense than Chanyeol had ever caused before, so hot it made him whimper slightly and hold onto Chanyeol just as tightly as Chanyeol was holding onto him.

In that moment, Jongin was not afraid.

**END OF ACT I**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone,
> 
> Congrats! You have made it to the end of Act I. Thank you everyone who has read this far! I hope to begin posting Act II (beginning in the next chapter) soon but until then I'd love to hear what your thoughts and questions are about the story if you have any. Feedback is a great confidence booster when it comes to releasing things into the internet void like this. @__@
> 
> Until then, perhaps I'll see you in Act II? The journey has only just begun! ^_^
> 
> OTHER STORIES BY UNUSUAL_TABLE
> 
> [Two Minutes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24045196/chapters/57859369): Jongin was born just two minutes after Kai. It took him a long time to realize he didn’t need to spend the rest of his life trying to catch up. [TWINS!AU - CHANKAI, SEKAI]
> 
> [Bound by Silver](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23604130/chapters/56642974): Master had three simple rules for Wolf to follow. The first was to never go beyond the fence. The second was to never speak to lodgers. The third was to never respond to the howl of the Mountain Spirits that could be heard on nights of the full moon. [WOFL!AU - SEKAI, BAEKYEOL, LAYHAN]
> 
> [Ghost Light](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24366250/chapters/58764295): After Junmyeon’s life falls apart, he retreats to his family’s small home near Daegu. Sequestered in his little house on the hill, he soon finds himself acquainted with an odd mailman named Zhang Yixing. [THEATRE!AU - SULAY]


	17. Act II: Chapter I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT II: First love heals, first love hurts, and for some… first love is the only love.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Chanyeol  
> Scene II - Jongin  
> Scene III - Jongdae/Kyungsoo... I was not consistent. Sorry!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Chanyeol stared intently at the paper laying facedown on the grass. Jongin’s hand rested on top of it as he sat hunched on his toes, sun not quite reaching them behind the gym building. 

“It’s just like ripping off a bandaid,” Chanyeol urged him on. “Just… do it quickly.” 

Jongin rubbed his fingers together, palms sweaty. When he had received his English test back right before lunch he had immediately folded it up and shoved it in his backpack, too afraid to look at it on his own.

During his two week suspension, Jongin spent the days studying at the tables outside Hakyeon’s food truck. It turned out that Hakyeon was pretty good at every subject and wasn’t humble about his knowledge at all. With his help and with the help of Sooyoung, who turned out to be a budding math and science genius, he studied until he thought his eyes would shrivel up. That was weeks ago and now it was the last Friday before summer vacation. Chanyeol’s fingers reached out and danced over the back of Jongin’s hand.

“I can turn it over with you if you want.”

“Ok…” 

On the count of three their hands moved together and Chanyeol started to laugh when Jongin shut his eyes and refused to open them back up. 

“Now you’re just being silly. Look!” 

After scrunching up his nose Jongin cracked open one eye and then the other, a big red “88%” circled at the top of his test.

“This is… I wasn’t expecting…” 

“Congrats Jonginnie!” Jongin turned to him with a smile, squeaking when Chanyeol leaned in closer to kiss him gently. “You've come such a long way so quickly. I’m proud of you.”

They leaned together in the shade a while longer, fingers intertwined. Chanyeol still couldn’t process it sometimes, couldn’t believe that this boy would want to be with him. But when Jongin fit so snuggly by his side in moments like these, Chanyeol could hardly picture what life was like before Jongin had him wrapped around his finger.

“We should go visit Taemin today,” Jongin said softly, head resting on Chanyeol’s shoulder. “He’s been working at the ice cream stand for almost two weeks now and I haven’t stopped by.”

By now Chanyeol was aware that Jongin lived together with Taemin and that while Minho lived there too he hadn’t really been back ever since there was some sort of falling out that Jongin wouldn’t put into much detail. After meeting Taemin a few times the boy was beginning to get on his good side since he supported Jongin in his studies and was starting to focus more on creating a life for himself instead of drowning in cigarettes and parading around town like a hooligan.

Baekhyun still refused to see the change, though. It wasn’t the first time the two of them had fought but it is definitely the longest. Baekhyun usually got upset when someone was mad at him and Chanyeol hated seeing anyone he cared about anything even remotely south of top-of-the-world so they would always end up buying each other candy that Jongdae would steal a large portion of and forget anything had ever happened.

This time was definitely different.

Jongin became Chanyeol’s life. They’d meet at the gate before school, eat lunch together, walk to Chanyeol’s workplace after until Jongin had to return to school for evening lessons, and after he got out Jongin would sometimes swing by to wish Chanyeol goodnight or wait until he got off to head back home with him even if they were only going the same direction for a few stops. 

Of course Jongin noticed this and on occasion he’d tell Chanyeol to just talk to Baekhyun already but then Chanyeol would say something embarrassing or distracting that would make Jongin flustered and they’d move on to a new topic.

There were some nights though, mostly on the weekends, when Chanyeol wouldn’t see Jongin at all. He didn’t mind that the boy had other things to do besides spend time with him but when he’d nervously shuffle away after a phone call or text, Chanyeol couldn’t help but be worried. Unlike the first time this sequence of events began months ago, Jongin wouldn’t come into school the next day looking visibly exhausted or distressed even if sometimes he’d spend lunch making sure some part of Chanyeol was touching him at all times, like he was Jongin’s anchor. 

“ _Everything is fine,_ ” he would say. “ _Things are actually more perfect than they’ve ever been. I just feel better when you’re closer._ ”

And Chanyeol would always believe him because now Jongin was almost always smiling, eager to talk to him, eager to touch him, and would rarely start on the dark trains of thought that had made him anxious in the past.

“Of course we can go see Taemin,” Chanyeol said, “maybe we can get some free ice cream out of it too.”

***

Jongin found the sight of Taemin giving ice cream to small children hilarious and he could tell that Chanyeol did too. His friend looked a bit out of place under the rainbow umbrella. Taemin’s once platinum blonde hair had been dyed black and the more he scowled, the more kids laughed at his face.

Jongin has always felt peaceful sitting in the park ever since that night with Chanyeol. Even here in the large picnic area next to the playground, Jongin felt more comfortable than he did anywhere else. 

“Hyung, I don’t want to go to evening classes today. It’s summer break and I’ll be the only one there,” he complained, laying his head down on his folded arms on the picnic table. Chanyeol raised his hand to start rubbing his back, the sensation making the younger’s eyes fall closed.

“I wasn’t expecting you to go. I knew you’d do well on that test so I got you a present!” 

Jongin rolled his head to the side to see Chanyeol reaching into his backpack pulling out a card. On the inside was a folded piece of paper, obviously ripped out of a notebook and covered with questionable drawings of farm animals. He shot Chanyeol a judgmental stare.

“Really?”

“What? It’s the thought that counts! Open it.” 

Jongin shook his head and flipped the card open. Taped on the inside were two movie tickets to _Iron Man_ but Jongin looked up confused and about to judge Chanyeol for his choices again.

“Hyung, these tickets are for a showing back in June.” Chanyeol smiled.

“Do you remember the day I confessed to you? That week I had actually bought those tickets, planning to take you to the movies and give a well rehearsed speech about… well… how I felt. But with that test and the headmaster and the suspension and Baekhyun… I never got to ask you and the day of the showing you were still so upset. I know _Iron Man_ isn’t in theaters anymore but…” Chanyeol pulled out another present, “I found this on DVD. It came out last summer but I thought maybe we could watch it together? I hope you haven’t seen it.” 

Jongin had to force himself to pull his eyes away from the expired movie tickets, chest tightening the way only Chanyeol could cause. Beneath the wrapping of the second gift was _Transformers_.

“Hyung… no, I haven’t seen this movie yet,” Jongin said with a smile. “Thank you. This means a lot to me.”

“And we can maybe watch it at your apartment? I don’t have a TV or computer and Mrs. Cha won’t stop doting over us if we watch it at her place.” 

Jongin gathered the card and the DVD in his lap.

“Movie night. Sounds like a great plan.” 

Just then, someone behind them cleared their throat.

“Jongin, if you’re inviting company over don’t you think you should ask me first since I, you know, live with you?” The two of them blushed and began to apologize but Taemin waved them off. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it. I’ll be with Jaejoong and Heechul tonight so I’ll see you in the morning, _Jonginnie_.” 

With that, Taemin disappeared back into the growing group of elementary schoolers leaving the embarrassed pair behind.

***

“Ow! What was that for?”

“You were falling asleep.”

“We literally don’t have school for an entire month.”

“But college entrance exams are in November and you’re not nearly prepared enough!” 

Kyungsoo ignored the two boys at his kitchen table, choosing instead to take an obnoxiously loud slurp of his smoothie and grab a tasteful amount of pretzels from the bowl on the table between them. His parents were out for the night but neither of them minded when his new friends would come over. If anything, they were grateful Baekhyun and Jongdae even wanted to spend time with him in the first place.

“It’s not like I’m aiming for Yonsei. I don’t even know what I really want to do,” Jongdae said. 

“That doesn’t matter. The point is to have options and the higher the score, the more options you have. Even Chan-… even an idiot knows this.” 

Jongdae sighed looking back down at his open textbook. He’d been reading the same paragraph for at least twenty minutes. It was Friday night and he really didn’t want to think about school at all.

“When are you and Chanyeol going to kiss and make up? It’s been over a month and I was expecting free jelly beans weeks ago.” 

At the mention of Chanyeol’s name, Kyungsoo fake coughed and excused himself from the table, walking over to the couch next to his family’s wall of bookcases to drag his finger over encyclopedias he had no current use for but enjoyed picking up random bits of information from anyway.

“I don’t apologize to nor feel sorry for reasonably smart people making bad choices. If he’d rather spend all his time getting involved with Jongin’s crowd then so be it.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not what the problem is. You hurt Jongin’s feelings and Chanyeol overheard. I don’t even think Jongin has any friends aside from Taemin and despite the facade he puts on he honestly seems harmless. I saw him working at an ice cream stand of all places recently.” Baekhyun began scribbling away in his notebook again.

“Why aren’t you studying? You need to study.” 

Jongdae folded his arms over his chest looking from Baekhyun to Kyungsoo and back again before relenting. He closed his history book and opened up his math one instead.

“I don’t understand number twenty-three.” 

Baekhyun scooted his chair closer to his own, offering a small smile before diving into an explanation. But with Baekhyun this close to him, as usual he found it difficult to focus. Maybe someday he’d take a chance just like Chanyeol did and lay his heart bare. Maybe someday Baekhyun would be his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OTHER STORIES BY UNUSUAL_TABLE
> 
> [Two Minutes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24045196/chapters/57859369): Jongin was born just two minutes after Kai. It took him a long time to realize he didn’t need to spend the rest of his life trying to catch up. [TWINS!AU - CHANKAI, SEKAI]
> 
> [Bound by Silver](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23604130/chapters/56642974): Master had three simple rules for Wolf to follow. The first was to never go beyond the fence. The second was to never speak to lodgers. The third was to never respond to the howl of the Mountain Spirits that could be heard on nights of the full moon. [WOFL!AU - SEKAI, BAEKYEOL, LAYHAN]
> 
> [Ghost Light](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24366250/chapters/58764295): After Junmyeon’s life falls apart, he retreats to his family’s small home near Daegu. Sequestered in his little house on the hill, he soon finds himself acquainted with an odd mailman named Zhang Yixing. [THEATRE!AU - SULAY]


	18. Act II: Chapter II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT II: First love heals, first love hurts, and for some… first love is the only love.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Youngwoon (Junmyeon centered)  
> Scene II - Chanyeol  
> Scene III - Jongin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Youngwoon was convinced that if Junmyeon wasn’t some sort of fresh-out-of-the-academy prodigy and if Boa of all people didn’t think he was “cuter than a muffin” they wouldn’t have ended up having to look into these types of cases. Taking another sip of coffee he watched Junmyeon continue to stare holes into a grainy photograph.

“That’s Luhan, it has to be,” he muttered, switching between different tabs on his computer with his right hand, flipping through pages of a binder with his left. “But he’s not in our system. I reached out to multiple districts in China and eventually got a response from Beijing. He was brought in for robbery once many years ago and brought in again less than a year later for suspected prostitution but other than that he’s clean. I’m not sure how long he’s been in Korea, but like I said last week we have no records on him.”

“So why have we been obsessing over this photograph if he has no connection to Phantom?” 

Junmyeon picked up his binder, almost shoving it right into Youngwoon’s face.

“Because half the visuals we have of him on camera are leading the direction of Super Junior’s and the other half are him milling around Twins Hotel. One is owned by who we believe to be the head of Sapphire and the other is owned by his son.” 

Youngwoon put the binder down, inwardly groaning when he realized that the last of his coffee was already gone.

“You can forget about whatever you read in the papers as a kid. Sapphire’s been a joke for years, much too long to get into it with an organization like Phantom anymore. People doubt if they even still own Twins Hotel. That and the son is just a party boy. The current head may have taken over after his brother got killed but he’s rarely seen with his son in public. How did you even get this Luhan guy’s name anyway?” 

Youngwoon’s eyes narrowed the longer Junmyeon hesitated, almost daring him to say what he was beginning to suspect.

“I went to Super Junior’s and had a look?” Junmyeon said, and the next second Youngwoon was right up in his face, hand holding the young man still with a vice grip on his tie.

“Are you fucking insane? Christ, if your lead is anything close to legit they probably already know we’re onto them!”

“But you said it yourself. Sapphire isn’t anything to worry about. Not these days.”

Youngwoon angrily pushed him away and took a moment to calm himself down. The middle of the office is the last place he wanted to get into it with a partner. He’d learned that the hard way years ago.

“I was speaking in relatives,” he explained. “This isn’t like the movies, there’s no plot armor here to protect you. _Your job_ is to stay on assignment. _Your job_ is to follow my lead.”

From the look Junmyeon was giving him, Youngwoon expected the man to protest. But he didn’t. He turned off his computer, locked up his files, and picked up his bag. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

When he was alone, Youngwoon put a dent in the side of his own desk and took out a cigarette. 

This was all Boa’s fault. 

***

Chanyeol had only been to Jongin’s apartment once before and it was only very briefly. It had been raining that day and Jongin was slightly on edge. Chanyeol was only there because he wanted to walk Jongin home, but before he even reached the end of the block he saw Jongin leave his apartment with Taemin running off in the opposite direction to who knows where.

But Taemin wasn’t there tonight, the weather was great, and Jongin was acting like this was the first time anyone had ever offered to watch a movie with him. Before Chanyeol could even kick off his shoes at the door, Jongin was already running inside pulling out stacks of instant noodles, cookies, and chips. He only slowed down when looking in the refrigerator and when Chanyeol came up behind him to look at what Jongin and Taemin kept in there he was met with two shelves of chicken and an entire shelf of chocolate, banana, and regular milk. 

“I’m guessing Taemin lets you do all of the shopping?” he asked, turning away to lean against the counter. 

“No, Taemin does! He just likes to spoil me,” Jongin said, picking out two boxes of chocolate milk and setting them down on the coffee table. “We don’t have a DVD player but I’ll go get my laptop. Make yourself at home.”

Looking around Chanyeol noticed that the apartment was rather empty. There were some random articles of clothing scattered about, stacks of comic books piled up in cardboard boxes, and a deck of cards and poker chips under the window. The couch in front of the TV was black but seemed to be lopsided as if there were something wrong with the frame beneath. Chanyeol sat on the higher end, tapping his foot on the floor and lightly whistling a tune. 

Jongin emerged from his room with his laptop as promised but had also switched out his school uniform for green gym shorts and a loose grey tank top, a thick purple headband holding his unruly fringe out of his face. He plugged in the computer to the wall and looked Chanyeol up and down.

“I said ‘make yourself at home’ but you’re still trapped in a blazer and a tie. Even if I turn on the fan you’ll be sweating bullets in twenty minutes. Trust me.” 

Caught off guard by the plunging armholes in Jongin’s shirt, Chanyeol hastily removed his blazer while Jongin put in the DVD. When Jongin turned back to him the boy groaned again with annoyance, tugging off Chanyeol’s tie and popping one of the buttons on his shirt, reaching around him to grab a large pillow off the broken couch before putting it on the rug instead.

“Sit,” he said, “you don’t want anything to do with that couch.” When Chanyeol sat on the floor, back now leaning against the front of the couch, Jongin dove in between the V of his legs and made himself comfortable, hair slightly tickling Chanyeol’s neck and chin as he squirmed to find the best position. It reminded Chanyeol of a cat. 

But while Jongin watched the film, Chanyeol was more concerned with keeping his heart rate steady. With his arms wrapped around the younger he could feel every single movement Jongin made beneath his hands and against his chest. Every time Chanyeol looked down, Jongin’s mesh shorts seemed to ride up more and the apartment’s seeming lack of air conditioning really was starting to get to him.

Even though Jongin brought out two boxes of chocolate milk he ended up drinking both when Chanyeol said he wasn’t thirsty, tongue dancing around the straw like it always did when his attention was caught by something. This time it was due to the large explosions happening on the screen in front of him. Soon Jongin’s mouth was the only thing Chanyeol’s brain could think about, hands subconsciously beginning to move in small circles on his boyfriend’s flat stomach, the woodsy scent of his skin melting into his senses. 

His trance was only broken by the feeling of fabric being replaced with skin as Jongin shifted his hands to go under his shirt, grinning and turning his head to the side to face Chanyeol.

“Your hands are cold today,” he said, “it feels good.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol responded dumbly, mentally cursing himself for it. When Jongin turned back to the screen, Chanyeol continued his light massage, hands travelling further up as his gaze fell further down to his boyfriend’s thighs. He only vaguely noted Jongin’s head falling back against his shoulder but was pulled from his haze once again when Jongin curled his hand around the back of his neck bringing Chanyeol in for a deep kiss.

Unlike the first time they did this, Chanyeol now knew the details of Jongin’s cavern so well that these moments had become routine but never boring. His heart still raced just like it did the first time, maybe even faster. 

“Hyung?” Jongin asked, breaking their kiss. 

“Yeah?”

“Is it… is it ok if I want more?”

Chanyeol felt his heart pounding in his ears now, not exactly sure how to interpret Jongin’s words.

“More like what?”

Jongin tucked his head into his chest, bright red like he got when he was embarrassed, before putting his hand on Chanyeol’s wrist slowly moving it from his stomach to between his legs over the material of his shorts.

Wordlessly, Chanyeol began moving his hand and Jongin became more and more boneless in his arms, his fingers clenching into the material of his pants. And before Chanyeol could question himself, doubt himself, or worry about any sort of finesse, he was pushing Jongin out of his lap and against the front of the couch on his knees. 

Jongin cried out as his hand returned to where he wanted it to be, breath catching over and over again as Chanyeol now rutted against him frantically from behind. It was if he had tunnel vision: all he could see was Jongin, all he could hear was Jongin, all he could feel was Jongin. But all became still after he felt the shudder crash through Jongin’s body, the material under his hand now taking on an indisputable dampness. 

But before he knew it Jongin was pushing him back against the rug, hands hastily undoing his slacks before similarly sliding over his boxers and rubbing, copying what Chanyeol had done to him. And soon after Chanyeol had unravelled with a curse, Jongin buried his face against his chest again, arms wrapping around Chanyeol like a koala and breathing heavily. It was only at the sound of a miserable groan that he began to worry, his head finally clearing. 

“Jongin? Hey, what’s wrong?”

“I’m so… I’m so embarrassed,” he mumbled into his shirt.

“Why is that?”

“I was too forward.”

At that, Chanyeol couldn’t help but start laughing, arms coming up to wrap around Jongin in kind, his heart swelling. 

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of. How can we know what we want if we don’t communicate it?” 

Jongin looked far more scandalized than one should be considering he wasn’t the one laying in the middle of the floor with his pants open.

“I’ve just… never done something like that before.”

“That’s alright. Neither have I. But there’s lots of ways we can make each other feel good and I’m eager to explore new things with you, no matter the pace. Just because we did this today doesn’t mean we have to do it all the time or ever again if you didn’t want to.”

They stayed quiet like that for a while longer, the sound of the rotating fan buzzing in the distance, the credits of the film rolling up the screen. 

“You look really nice all the time and it makes me flustered,” Jongin confessed. “Thank you for not being grossed out by… by what I wanted.” 

Chanyeol sighed fondly, guiding them both into a sitting position. The more he ran his fingers through Jongin’s hair, the more relaxed he seemed to become. 

“No need to thank me. I desire you too, you know.” 

Chanyeol took a shower first, planning on washing out his boxers and maybe putting a hairdryer to them before heading off. But when he emerged, Jongin asked him to stay. 

“I’ve actually been having some trouble sleeping,” he admitted quietly. “Even more so when Taemin isn’t here. I have extra clothes. They should fit.” 

While Jongin was in the shower, Chanyeol made them both ramen. Watching his boyfriend sit across from him like this, hair wrapped in a towel and drowsy from the warmth, it was a type of satisfying he had never felt before. 

“I think we can both fit in my bed,” Jongin pointed out later that night. “That’s Taemin’s,” he said gesturing to a quilted blue bed parallel to his own, “and that’s Minho’s,” he pointed to a dark grey bed on the adjacent wall by the door. 

When the two of them were laying down curled up facing each other Chanyeol started to make funny faces to ease the nervousness he knew they both felt.

“I made these same faces in front of my sister when she was little but I think I like your reactions better.” Jongin smiled, pulling one of Chanyeol’s arms around his waist.

“I was half expecting you to start bombarding me with questions like you usually do. What happened to your mission to know every single thing about me, hm?” 

Chanyeol yawned while beginning to play with the hem of Jongin’s nightshirt. At this point he’d asked at least a hundred questions so he had to search his brain for more.

“You said you had trouble sleeping. Do you get nightmares?”

Jongin sighed and inched himself closer to him, head resting just above his beating heart.

“Sometimes. Other times I just feel too anxious to fall asleep.”

“What do you have nightmares about?” 

He could feel Jongin frowning into his skin. 

“Losing the people I care for. I’m standing there and can’t do anything to stop it. But I know I only have these dreams because I’m so _happy_ right now, Hyung. My mind doesn’t know how to handle it I suppose. I have you, Taemin, Mrs. Cha, Hakyeon, even Sooyoung. I’m so thankful.” 

Chanyeol stayed awake until he felt the other’s breaths even out. He couldn’t remember a night being more beautiful than this one.

***

When Jongin woke up he was alone but he could hear noises coming from the kitchen. Turning over a few times he eventually forced himself out of bed not even bothering to try to fix his appearance before opening the door only to have Chanyeol standing right in the doorway hand raised as if he were about to knock.

“Jongin! Um, don’t freak out. I was going to wake you up as soon as I saw him but you looked like you were sleeping well so I made toast?” 

“What?” he mumbled groggily, confused. 

Chanyeol moved to the side revealing Taemin at the kitchen table munching on a piece of toast with a large bag of ice pressed to his bruised and swollen face. Now Jongin was awake. 

“Tae…” he said rushing over to the table, “what happened?” When his friend’s gaze went back and forth from him to Chanyeol, Jongin got the hint. “Hyung, can you go find my socks with the turtles on them?” Of course Chanyeol would look confused. He was bad at catching onto things sometimes but eventually retreated back inside the bedroom.

“I was at Mirotic like usual,” Taemin said, “helping out cleaning the bar and making sure Jaejoong didn’t lose his shit over the little things you know… but Minho came and he wasn’t himself. I don’t know. Everyone knows that we had some sort of argument so they thought urging us to punch it out would… ease the tension. I want to hate him, but I can’t. I couldn’t get myself to hit him… but I wasn’t very good at fending for myself either. Heechul called him off before it got too bad. Don’t worry.” 

Jongin sighed, taking a seat beside his friend.

“You can’t just let people do that to you. If any-”

“But that’s not all! He said if I stopped working at Mirotic and started going on runs with him and the others again… then maybe we could try… being a thing. Dating.” Jongin rested his face in his hands.

“Yes, but he said this after punching you in the face. You can’t even open one of your eyes!” 

“You don’t get it. You get to have Chanyeol, right? But you had to take a chance. What will I have if I never give Minho a chance? Just because I don’t have what you have exactly doesn’t mean that what I want is wrong, Jongin.”

“But he’s-”

“A thug? A delinquent? Sound familiar?” 

The two were silent for some moments before Chanyeol emerged from the bedroom with a pair of frog-printed ankle socks. Jongin got up from the table to go thank him anyway, reminding him that his shift at the restaurant started soon throwing the taller boy into a frenzy. It wasn’t until Chanyeol was out the door when Jongin noticed that Taemin was gone too.


	19. Act II: Chapter III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT II: First love heals, first love hurts, and for some… first love is the only love.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Luhan  
> Scene II - Jongin  
> Scene III - Youngwoon (Junmyeon centered)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Luhan truly thought Seoul was a disgusting place. Perhaps there were a few places in South Korea he wouldn’t mind visiting but the very thought of _Seoul_ made his toes curl and the center of Phantom’s territory somehow managed to repulse him even more. A bit of him shriveled up on the inside when he walked by a pile of shit, probably human shit, and there were paper advertisements littering the ground crunching under his shoes. But as usual, he adjusted. His whole life was about adjusting, improvising, surviving. And if Yifan wanted eyes on the ground, he’d give it to him. 

By the time he got within sight of Mirotic he could almost feel the dirt building up on his carefully maintained skin. Amongst the drunken adults loitered kids who looked like they were barely in high school smoking and chatting loudly, hitting each other every now and then with scabbed fists. If anything, tonight Luhan could take solace in the fact that he wasn’t alone on this job. Not completely, anyway. Tonight he’d finally have one of his own.

It took longer than expected to pass through the doors of Mirotic and even once inside the heightened security was obvious. The last stunt they’d pulled with Sapphire had obviously made an impact. If only they knew what was coming. If only they knew that this was just the beginning of their end.

Beneath the neon lights, men and women spun on poles and danced in cages. Random people tried to hand him drinks to catch his attention but Luhan ignored them all and bobbed his head to the beat a little before swaying his hips to the tune in his head instead, the tune of his old records he’d carried with him from Beijing. Eventually from the corner of his eye he saw movement in the shadows and took that as his cue to head over to the VIP bar on the upper level, credentials working like a charm.

The bartender was a rather eccentric man with long hair chatting animatedly to a group of hunky-looking idiots who so very obviously had weapons hidden beneath their large jackets. Luhan sat at the opposite end from them, not wanting to attract more attention than necessary. When the bartender made his way over to him, a pin on his chest read “Heechul.”

“A beauty sits at my bar!” the man shouted over the music. “What would you like to drown in tonight?” 

Luhan put on his best smile and raked his eyes up and down the man’s form, watching with satisfaction as the bartender did the same in return. 

“Make me all your favorites.”

***

Jongin was used to Xiah’s various cars by now and the silence of their midnight rides were almost soothing sometimes. Xiah was so silent, calm, and generally unassuming that when Jongin would accompany him he’d almost forget he was participating in something that was likely illegal. The two did talk, on occasion, about trivial things and sometimes Xiah would go out of his way to make odd gestures like keeping a candybar in the car for Jongin to eat if he knew the ride would be a long one. 

This weekend Chanyeol and Sooyoung had gone to Daejeon to visit their father and grandparents. Minho had moved back in but was out so much with Taemin that it was like living alone. The anxiety he felt when trying to fall asleep somehow managed to get worse after experiencing what it was like to have Chanyeol by his side holding him tight. He had laughed at himself after spending an hour sequestered in the bathroom trying to keep bad thoughts at bay in the middle of the night. He hadn’t always been like this. He was sure love didn’t look like this for most people. But tonight he was grateful for the soothing hum of Xiah’s car as they rode further and further away from the lights of the city. 

They eventually turned off the highway and drove through a small town onto a dirt road and into the woods. Jongin wondered how Phantom even found these places whether they be in the middle of nowhere or in a hidden cellar in the heart of Seoul but his job with Xiah wasn’t much different than it had been with Yesung aside from the locations. He would stand outside wherever they’d go and Xiah would go in to handle whatever needed to be handled. Sometimes they’d take things in or out of the car, things that Xiah was adamant that Jongin not look at.

“You seem tired.” 

Jongin looked up from where his head was resting on the window before laying it back down again. 

“A little, I guess.”

“Going out with Minho and the others?”

“No. I’m not much of a party person,” he said. 

“Fair enough.” 

The car came to a stop about twenty feet from a clearing with what seemed to be a small abandoned warehouse standing in the middle. Probably for something like lumber. Always looking out of place in these situations, Xiah’s expensive shoes dragged through the twigs and dirt with Jongin dressed in black from head to toe behind him. They stopped at the edge of the clearing.

“Something’s not right…” Xiah muttered to him, a hand coming up to rest on his shoulder to keep him back.

Jongin could see a small light flickering from inside the building and Xiah fiddled with his phone for a few moments before asking for Jongin’s. He tilted the screen towards him, raising an eyebrow at the picture Sooyoung had taken of him and Chanyeol after they had fallen asleep on the floor together when they were supposed to be studying.

“Boyfriend,” Jongin explained quietly. 

“Right… there’s no signal right now. The phones I mean. My contact here doesn’t have a landline but two hours ago I reached him just fine. So the question is, what went wrong between then and now.” Xiah held his gaze on the warehouse for a while longer before bending down to lift the leg of his pants pulling out what looked to be a small dagger and turned to Jonign. “Try not to kill yourself with that.” 

Xiah walked ahead into the clearing, Jongin a few paces behind him. When they reached the warehouse door, Xiah pulled it open just enough to peek inside. 

“Shit,” he growled, “stay out here, Kai. I mean it.” 

Xiah shut the door behind him and Jongin found himself seemingly alone in the middle of the woods. Something had definitely gone wrong, just like in his dreams. He gripped his weapon tighter until his fears did come true. He realized he was not alone. 

“What’s a kid like you doin’ all the way out here?” 

There were four of them that emerged from the darkness of the trees: one that was large and quite a bit older, two that were maybe Xiah’s age, and one who looked like he couldn’t be older than himself. 

“Probably some new recruit, biting off more than he can chew,” the young one said, dragging a baseball bat behind him. “We’re just stopping by to see how you liked your present but the car we found a little ways back doesn’t look like it could belong to you… unless you stole it… ballsy little shit,” he drawled, eyes electric with something unnatural. 

Jongin took a step back. He had been in fights before, small ones with other children when he and Taemin were on their own. Scuffles in the park. When encountering older boys, even Taemin made it a priority to run away. And that’s what Jongin’s body tried to do now, backing up until he felt his heel hit the door of the building. One of the men looked down at the blade in his hand.

“Do you even know how to use that?” he said.

Eyes darting between the four men he tried to pull the door open with his free hand behind his back but the angle was too awkward and the door was too heavy for him to open quickly enough. The oldest one grabbed him by the shirt and threw him to the ground away from the door but Jongin quickly scooted away on his elbows before scrambling to his feet again.

He dodged the large man’s first swing and the second but on the third the man’s hand shot forward, grabbing his neck and twisting him around so he was held to his chest. The adrenaline running through his body wasn’t enough for him to break free fully, but the arm with the hand he held the knife in it got out of the man's grasp. The tallest of them was close enough that he aimed for his shoulder, but his hand was caught by the man who was holding him, wrist snapping causing the knife to fall to the ground as Jongin screamed, white pain shooting up from the source of the damage.

“Come on Jimin,” the man who was holding him said, “you can take care of this one.” 

Released suddenly and pushed forward, Jongin barely registered the youngest of the four reversing his stumble as blunt metal collided with his stomach and then his shoulder, then rough hands pushed him to the ground where a sharp rock dug into the bottom of his back.

“You’re so fucking _pathetic_ ,” the boy said hissed, running what Jongin realized to be his own knife across his neck not deep enough to kill but deep enough to bleed. “Like a sick little dog. I’m gonna gut you like an animal.”

The pain from the damage done on Jongin’s wrist was nothing compared to the agony of the knife digging deep into his abdomen as the boy laughed with delight, hand jerking the weapon so that it ripped more skin going upward. Jongin didn’t recognize the sounds he was making but he started to panic at the feeling of warm blood on his stomach and the icy coldness of his fingertips.

Spurts of blood drenched his face when a bullet blew through the top of the boy’s head. The body dropped down lifelessly onto Jongin shoving the knife even deeper. His own racing and stuttering heartbeat didn’t do much to block out the sounds of the others dying, but soon the body was thrown off of him and Xiah’s usually calm expression was tense.

Xiah dragged him into the warehouse telling him to stay awake and not move the knife. Jongin’s head lolled to the side, eyes falling upon a fire lit inside of a trashcan illuminating a mangled body hanging from a rope tied to the rafters, a black flag with a silver dragon hanging from its neck. Darkness was creeping into the edges of his vision and when he recognized the face of the mangled man, he wheezed coughing up blood. 

Xiah’s cold hands were on his face the next moment as the elder told him to relax and not to look, that he needed the fire to see, that he knew what to do and that everything would be fine if Jongin stayed calm. But he couldn’t. He was scared. He didn’t want to die. He could feel himself shedding silent tears, more blood forcing its way out of his lungs. Just like in his dreams, he tried to run from the darkness. But the darkness took him anyway.

***

“Kim Heechul, age twenty-seven, died from blood loss three days ago… probably sometime in the middle of the night before those other guys you found.” Junmyeon diligently took notes while Youngwoon picked at something under his fingernails. 

“Thanks, Yuri. Tell your sister she ruined my day off,” the man grumbled before giving Junmyeon his usual look of irritation. “And all the rest of my days off too thanks to the implications of _this_ piece of work.” 

Yuri rolled her eyes seemingly unbothered by the way human intestines were hanging out of her subject like a faulty piñata.

“Just make sure Kangta gets his mail checked over the next few days. This guy is missing quite a few unusual parts and we don’t want a repeat of last time… get _AWAY_ from my work, kid!” Junmyeon flinched away from the corpse where his hand had been poking at its mouth.

“I’m sorry! I was just curious how… how they managed to get his entire tongue so-”

“Think of this as a museum: Do. Not. Touch. Now get out or you’ll be on that table next,” she threatened, hands on her hips. The two men rushed into the hallway slightly bewildered by the woman’s temper.

“Hands, feet, junk, tongue, ears, and _both_ eyes. Died of blood loss but I sure hope the guy passed out long before that,” Youngwoon said looking through the file he’d had tucked under his arm.

“But the other bodies, they almost all had blue diamonds tattooed to the bottom of their feet. That means they’re Sapphire. If Jung’s death really was Sapphire’s doing after all _and_ if both of these murders were committed by the same person then why were members of Sapphire killed? Plus, Heechul worked at Mirotic, a place Phantom has had their nose stuck in on and off for decades. But this guy didn’t even have a criminal history…” The two emerged from the basement, the sounds of ringing telephones, chatter, and typing filling the air.

“The bodies were there for days before we got there. It’s more than likely that someone related to one or both gangs got there before us and tampered with the scene. Whoever killed Kim Heechul was trying to send a message and I bet those Sapphire guys ran into whoever they were trying to send the message to,” Youngwoon said, all but collapsing into his desk chair while Junmyeon still stood standing next to his own.

“So you agree with me now. You think Sapphire is involved.”

Youngwoon leaned back in his chair and for once avoided Junmyeon’s eager gaze. He’d been just about his age the last time Phantom and Sapphire made headlines together. It was still the bloodiest gang activity that had ever plagued Seoul. He’d lost a lot of colleagues, a lot of _friends_ , back then.

“Luhan was the name, right?” he asked a bit solemnly but Junmyeon’s eyes lit up before him.

He sat staring at the photo of the man he’d nicknamed Angel Face as Junmyeon began to go over his findings with renewed enthusiasm. For some reason, these types of cases always involved someone as pretty as Luhan. 

Such a waste.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imma be killin some folks. Sorry! *twiddles thumbs*


	20. Act II: Chapter IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT II: First love heals, first love hurts, and for some… first love is the only love.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Baekhyun  
> Scene II - Luhan  
> Scene III - Jongin
> 
> FIRST APPEARANCE (EXO): Yixing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

“Where did you get that book?” Baekhyun’s mother asked him.

It was a rare quiet afternoon in their home. She didn’t have to go in for work on Sundays. No men had come to the house either but two would come tonight. So on one end of the table, Baekhyun studied. On the other end, his mother worked on altering his pants for school after lecturing him on becoming too thin. He hadn’t seen Chanyeol so far for all of break. He tried to not be worried for him. 

“Kyungsoo gave it to me. He has a cousin who was apparently pre-med at a school in Iksan. He got a hold of it when visiting her last week.” Baekhyun eventually looked up once he realized his mother was still focusing on him. “Is something wrong?” he asked but stood up to go to her side once he realized she had started to cry.

“Oh Baekhyun… you’re such a hardworking and smart boy. Your father would be proud,” she said and he smiled in relief.

“I know,” he said. “But I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without you. Without your support.” 

She shook her head and wiped at her eyes. 

“That’s… that’s what I need to talk to you about. But it’s a conversation I don’t want to have. Why don’t you sit back down for a moment? Pull your chair here.”

He did as he was told and they held each other’s hands even as his mother looked off in another direction, her hands rough but thinner than in his own. 

“Baekhyun… I’m so sorry. Your mom’s sorry. You must think I’m disgusting.”

They had discussed her side work before so Baekhyun did not respond. She knew he didn’t like it. He knew she didn’t like it. But with her hours at the factory, with the way the foreman had slandered their family after what happened with his father, word spread quickly in their community. People talked. The times she did find extra employment somewhere, it didn’t take long for her to be let go. Baekhyun hated it. He’d wanted to scream in the streets that certain things weren’t true but his mother assured him that it wasn’t the ill thoughts of their neighbors that made this happen. It was the spite and jealousy of one powerful man, not only when it came to everyone else who worked in the factory but with the connections he had to the gangs that plagued and preyed on their community. But they wouldn’t be in this situation for much longer. Once he got into Yonsei, he’d know people with even more power. He’d get access to the resources his mother needed. 

“I wanted so badly for you to have the best childhood possible. I never wanted you to feel like you were any lesser or that you couldn’t accomplish your wildest dreams. I talk to other mothers who absolutely adore you, are in  _ awe _ of you even if they don’t think that well of me all the time.”

“Well they should,” he said. “You said it yourself. I’ve felt your love my entire life. Without it, I’d be a completely different person.”

His mother shook her head again and gestured for him to stop seaking.

“I don’t want to ask this of you… after all your efforts. But things are really tight. Things are really bad. I need you to stop going to cram school. I need you to find a job. The funds we got from your father’s accident… I’ve been borrowing from it for years. I had to. I didn’t want to let go of this house, this neighborhood, or your school. I didn’t want to get involved in anything else that could put me on the wrong side of the law. I didn’t want you to feel unsafe. I didn’t want to see what would happen if the threats turned out to be real. At first I tried to give back what I took. Believe me, I tried so hard. I’m trying hard even now. But it’s already summer break for you and I… we can’t…  _ I _ can’t… college can’t happen. Not right now. I’m so sorry.”

Baekhyun let his mother’s words wash over him like a gentle tide. Somewhere in the back of his mind he always knew this was a possibility. But he had worked so hard. He’d wanted it so badly. But this was not the time to be a child. Not the time to be selfish or difficult or angry.

“It’s ok. I understand.” 

***

It had taken two days for Luhan to get Yixing to eat something. The guy didn’t like Korean food or the Korean interpretation of Chinese food or Chinese people in Korea making Chinese food who were from specific regions of China. So naturally once they did find an appropriate whole-in-the-wall, Yixing ate through four appetizers and two entrees just like he ate ass. Luhan knew from experience. It would’ve been marginally endearing if he didn’t also know Yixing was a legitimate freak.

“Grandma!” Yixing called out once he came up for air. 

The old lady who ran the place had been watching the entire scene with glee. One more order and Luhan didn’t doubt she’d want to adopt him.

“What more can I get you, my sweet boy? You eat so well!”

“I want everything on these two pages in packages to go. Label what is in each bag  _ clearly _ ,” he said holding up the menu. “And all three desserts to eat right now.” 

Once the woman had left, Yixing sat straight in his seat and looked up at a dated TV playing a VHS of an equally dated Chinese show, his foot tapping incessantly beneath the table. 

“Hey,” Luhan said, snapping his fingers to get his colleague’s attention. “Take your meds.” 

Yixing glared at him before refocusing back on the TV. Luhan didn’t push the issue. He knew Yixing well enough by now to know that he only truly took directions from Yifan. Everything else was a suggestion. But Yifan had called him personally hours before Yixing had landed in Korea, told him he gave the man a real verbal beating before sending him over. Yixing was highly skilled but had the reputation of being a bit of a loose canon. A delicate operation like this couldn’t afford loose canons. 

So Luhan knew that Yixing knew that if he slipped up this time, Yifan would probably kill him himself. But all things considered, the past couple years had gone very well for him. Yifan wouldn’t have sent him over otherwise. Nonetheless, Luhan took a relieved sip of his tea when Yixing finally did take out his pill container popping in one after the other of varying shapes and sizes between spoonfuls of mango pudding. 

“Siwon will be back in a week,” Luhan told him as they made their way out of the restaurant and down a narrow street each holding four bags of food. “So please for the love of all that is good, get those body parts out of the freezer before he gets back.”

“Fuck you,” Yixing replied in a tone that would’ve otherwise been perceived as polite.

Luhan couldn’t help but smile a bit. Maybe he had been a little more homesick than he’d thought. Fuck him indeed if Zhang Yixing of all people lifted his spirits. 

***

There were thin white curtains shifting in the wind by an open window, the summer breeze dancing gently on his skin. Around him was decor of red and gold, paintings on the walls of faraway places. But his bed was a hospital bed, the needles and wires in him all telling a story. He laid like this for several minutes before someone brought him from his confused daze.

“We’re at Yunho’s place,” he heard Xiah’s voice say before noticing him standing in the doorway. “We had Phantom’s doctor work on you. It’s best if you stay put for a few more days.” 

Xiah walked over to sit in a red leather chair, looking far more relaxed in a black t-shirt and pants than he did in his usual suits. The wind carried with it the smell of grass and dirt.

“Are we… in Seoul?” Jongin croaked, wincing as even speaking brought his body discomfort. 

“No. But we’re not too far off either.” 

His wrist was wrapped up and in a sling, his midsection felt like it was on fire, and everything else just ached. Xiah must’ve noticed him trying to determine what was wrong with him. 

“You have a pair of bruised ribs, a hairline fracture on your collarbone, a broken wrist, and you’ll have a pretty nasty scar on your stomach but other than that you’re fine. The worst of it is over. It wasn’t looking good for a while.”

Jongin let his head relax back into the pillows, eyes attempting to look past the curtains to maybe guess exactly how far away from Seoul he was. A nurse poked his head in to ask him to test some ranges of movement and describe how certain things felt. Once the man left, he spoke to Xiah again.

“I need to go home… as quickly as possible. I need to meet someone who’s coming back from a trip.” He looked at the man when he laughed.

“I’m sorry kid. That Chanyeol of yours got back three days ago and has become well acquainted with Changmin who had to use a bunch of legalese on him to  _ not _ alert the authorities. Apparently your boyfriend doesn’t even have a-”

“A cell phone. I know. He uses the landline of the store he lives above.” 

“As we eventually deduced,” Xiah said. “Point is, don’t worry. Yunho is looking into recent events with Youngmin and some others. Nothing that happened needs to concern you anymore. Once you rest up, I’ll take you home and swing by in a couple weeks to give you more work.” 

Xiah stood up to leave but Jongin called for him again just before he reached the door.

“The man in the shed. Was that… was that really…” 

“Yes, unfortunately.” An odd coldness seeped its way back into Xiah’s voice. 

“What happened? Who were those people?”

“Nobody of importance. They weren’t the ones who killed him, that’s for sure. They probably weren’t even supposed to be there.”

“There was… a boy,” Jongin pressed further. “Why did you kill him?”

“What else did you expect me to do?  _ He _ was trying to kill  _ you _ and very nearly succeeded.”

“He was just a kid.”

“And so are you, Kai,” Xiah said, now growing somewhat cross. “Out there being a kid doesn’t matter. I’m sorry you had to experience all that. I only bring you along when things are low risk and not… messy. But what’s done is done. It’s in your best interest to forget about it.”

The same nurse from earlier brought him something small to eat and drink but Jongin couldn’t make so much as a dent in it. He didn’t quite know what he felt and he couldn’t quite register that he was almost killed, that Xiah  _ had  _ killed. So instead of understanding, instead of internalizing it like Taemin had done when he had seen Minho do those  _ things _ , he pushed it all away.

Kai was there that night, not Jongin. Kai was there with Xiah, not Junsu. Kai belonged to Phantom, Jongin did not. Kai turned a blind eye to the suffering of others, Jongin could not. Jongin lived in Seoul and went to Sungji High School and studied hard. Jongin had Chanyeol. Jongin loved Chanyeol. Kai had never known love. Kai didn’t deserve love either. 

He tried to push everything away and sleep but only nightmares welcomed him.


	21. Act II: Chapter V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT II: First love heals, first love hurts, and for some… first love is the only love.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Jongin  
> Scene II - Chanyeol  
> Scene III - Kyungsoo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

“Are you planning on speaking to Lover Boy today?” Changmin asked, walking back inside from the library’s terrace. 

Jongin looked up from the couch where he’d been staring at his phone resting in front of him on the coffee table. In the two weeks since he’d regained consciousness, Changmin had been his only real company if you didn’t count the nurses and other staff that didn’t seem interested in making small talk. As Jongin had been told before, Changmin was a law student at Korea University which meant he was on summer vacation just like Jongin was. 

The property itself, a western style mansion, belonged to Yunho but Changmin had said he rarely ever makes it out this way, that usually it was Yunho’s late father who would come to clear his mind and entertain close guests. The large library, swimming pool, and gardens were unlike anything Jongin had ever seen before but Changmin always looked perfectly at home dressed elegantly even in casual wear and buried beneath his school books. His tendency to sample the mansion’s large selection of wine and raid its kitchen to his heart’s content slowly working through a newly acquired recipe book is the reason he proudly called himself a free-loader. It was clear that Yunho adored Changmin even if the older man infrequently saw him personally because of their different circumstances.

“I don’t know,” Jongin said, “I don’t think I’m in the right headspace yet.”

“And what headspace would that be, my child?”

Changmin always conveyed a sort of dry sarcasm. He hadn’t been phased at all by Jongin’s injuries yet also never seemed to acknowledge the type of business his childhood friends were involved in. It made him wonder how much Changmin actually knew about Phantom aside from knowing that anything associated with its activities should be kept quiet. 

Jongin didn’t get a chance to answer him before his phone on the table started ringing, the same exact time it had been ringing everyday, and Changmin snatched it up.

“Hello, Kim Jongin’s office. Why yes, he’s right here. Says he can’t talk to you because he’s not in the right-”

Jongin stood up quickly, too quickly, his injuries still groaning in protest as he snatched the phone from Changmin’s hand, not wanting the man to say anything more. No matter how distant Changmin seemed from Phantom, seeing Chanyeol speak to someone even associated with it made his hackles raise. The irony was not lost on him. 

Changmin lazily saluted him, grabbed a stack of his books off the table, and retreated to elsewhere in the house leaving Jongin alone in the dim library.

“ _Hello?_ ” he could hear Chanyeol say as he still held his phone at a distance. “ _Mr. Shim?_ ” The first thing Jongin noted was how tired Chanyeol sounded, how tense and desperate. How all the feelings present in Chanyeol’s voice were his fault. 

“It’s me,” he found himself saying softly.

_“Jongin? Jongin! Where are you? Are you ok? God I’ve been… where did you go? They said you were hurt.”_ Jongin felt the guilt in him surging again as Chanyeol spoke through what he knew were tears. _“I’ll come to you. I’ll find a way to get to you. Jongin? Jongin, please say something!”_

“I’m sorry. I… I don’t know what to say.” And it was true. His mind had been nothing but a mess or broken and twisted wires. The silence of the mansion had only been making him more exhausted, more withdrawn. 

_“That’s ok. Can we start with… can you tell me how you’re feeling?”_

But now Jongin’s mind zeroed in on Chanyeol’s voice. He had a way of speaking that made complicated things feel simpler, more digestible.

“How… I’m feeling.”

_“Yes. How you’re feeling. Your body. Are you in pain?”_

Jongin lowered himself back down to the couch, the expected tug on his remaining bruises and stitches an expected accompaniment. He could lie to Chanyeol but he didn’t want to. He never wanted to lie to Chanyeol. 

“I am. But it’s getting better. I’m getting better. Everyday.” Physically, at least.

_“That’s good. How are you sleeping?”_

“It’s hard. You… you know, Hyung. It’s hard without you.” 

Why did he say that? He shouldn’t have said that. He should be pushing Chanyeol away as he had been doing until moments ago. He’d had plenty of time to indulge himself in all the good things Chanyeol had to offer but it was clear now that Jongin couldn’t choose both worlds. Until a day came when he was free of his ties to Phantom, how would he comfortably accept Chanyeol’s affections?

_“Can you leave where you are? Can you come home? Will they let you?”_ They would. Changmin already said the door was wide open. Xiah already said he would not ask after him for a while. But that didn’t matter.

“I don’t want you to see me like this.”

_“Why is that?”_

“Because… Baekhyun was right. And this is proof.”

_“No,”_ Chanyeol denied. _“Come home and we can talk about it. We can figure it out together.”_ Home. Why did Chanyeol keep calling it home? _“Are you there, Jongin?”_

“Yes.”

_“When can you come home?”_

He needed to end things. But he needed to end them properly.

“Give me a few more days. Thursday. I’ll meet you on Thursday night. At your place.”

_“Thank you. I love you, Jongin. I love you.”_

He… needed to end things. But not yet. Not right now. Because he was selfish.

“Hyung… can you keep talking to me?”

_“Of course. What would you like to talk about?”_

“Anything. Tell me about your day? How is Sooyoung? How was Daejeon?”

As requested, Chanyeol talked to him, kept talking even though Jongin wasn’t responding. He let Chanyeol’s voice wrap around him like the warmest of blankets. That night, he slept easier.

***

Chanyeol sat in his apartment, frown chiseling lines into his face as it had ever since Jongin went missing. But Jongin would be back soon and while Chanyeol couldn’t exactly hide the bags under his eyes or the weight he’d lost worrying, he wanted to be his usual self as much as possible: happy, hyper, and comfortably overbearing because that’s what Jongin liked. That’s what made Jongin smile up at him always. 

Of course he knew that Jongin wasn’t always surrounded by the best people. Obviously Taemin had gotten into trouble in the past. Maybe it was something from the past that had caught up to them. The times Chanyeol had searched for Jongin at his apartment, no one had answered. It was like everything connecting to his boyfriend vanished from the face of the Earth overnight until he’d gotten a hold of Mr. Shim. 

Once Jongin got back, they could discuss things together, figure everything out together. He owed it to Jongin to listen and not judge. That’s what the younger had done for him when they barely even knew each other, after all. Sure in the grand scheme of things they hadn’t been dating for very long. Just over four months. But Chanyeol had meant what he’d said. He was in love with Kim Jongin. He had been for a long time. He loved him even though he knew deep down that on some level Jongin had been lying to him. Or, maybe not lying, but at least withholding information. _Important_ information. The kind that likely had been fueling his nightmares when Chanyeol had no idea.

He had never pressured Jongin to talk about his family because family is a topic Chanyeol believed one should bring up themselves. He knew Jongin lived with Taemin who was not family and he knew Officer Kim, a family friend, and now he knew Mr. Shim of unknown relation. So where was Jongin’s family? Were they the ones who hurt him? Where did Jongin even come from? Was he from Seoul? These are the things Jongin withheld from him while Jongin practically had Chanyeol’s entire family history stored somewhere in his memory with all the messy details.

It was ok though, to Chanyeol. Not knowing about Jongin’s family was ok for him because he got to learn so much about Jongin even when he didn’t tell him things directly. He would learn from his mannerisms and from the way he reacted to the things around him as well as the answers to Chanyeol’s endless other random questions. But now Jongin had gotten hurt somewhere seemingly far away, ignoring all but one of Chanyeol’s attempts to reach him. It hurt him in ways that were difficult to grapple with. When they were together things would get better. They _had_ to.

Just before seven in the evening there was finally a knock on the door and on the other side Jongin stood with his right arm in a sky blue sling and a bag over his opposite shoulder. Worse than Chanyeol, Jongin looked thinner and like he hadn’t gotten a decent night of sleep since they’d last seen each other three weeks ago. Still Chanyeol put on his best smile.

“Welcome home, Jonginnie.”

Jongin did not respond but did not protest when Chanyeol wordlessly took his bag from him allowing him to more easily slip off his shoes. He then walked in and surveyed his surroundings almost as if he’d never been to the apartment before.

“Where is Sooyoung? Is she alright?” 

“She’s staying with Mrs. Cha for the night. I thought you might want some privacy.”

The boy still just stood there facing away from him. When Chanyeol approached him from behind he was worried any touch might hurt but Jongin had no reaction to hands gently holding him by the waist or Chanyeol’s head coming to rest on his uninjured shoulder. The worry Chanyeol had felt eased a bit the longer Jongin let him hold him like this.

“You should sit,” he said after a while. “You look tired.”

“I brought something for the two of you. It’s in there,” Jongin said, gesturing to his bag after settling into their plastic folding chair. Chanyeol wished in that moment that he had something more comfortable fo him.

Chanyeol was surprised to see the small duffle was empty except for a plastic bag from the electronics store. Opening the bag revealed two cell phones, brand new. 

“Jongin… these must’ve cost you a lot… you didn’t have to-”

“A teenager should have a phone. Now you and Sooyoung can communicate if there’s an emergency. I also have a list of numbers you can put into it like Mrs. Cha’s and Hakyeon’s. I got a good deal on the plan. You shouldn’t have to worry about a bill for the first few months. I figured that would give you enough time to budget for it if you wanted to. If not, you can toss them. I… I know it’s an old model… but it should be easy to use. Easy to navigate. Gets the job done.” 

Chanyeol sighed, putting the two phones down and scooted over to where Jongin’s socked feet met the floor. These socks had fish on them.

“This is so thoughtful of you, Jongin. These phones are perfect. Thank you,” he said, taking one foot in his hand, massaging the ankle but frowned when Jongin pulled away.

“You're welcome. I also think... starting today... I don’t think we should see each other for a while.” Chanyeol took a moment for silence to rest between them before one again cradling his ankle in his hand. “Chanyeol,” Jongin said again.

“I know you don’t mean that so let’s talk about why you felt the need to say it. What happened to you?” He looked into Jongin’s eyes directly now and was not surprised when the younger looked away. “Let me in, Jongin. Let me know what’s going on. Let’s tackle it together.”

“I brought this bag to take my things. Let me go, Chanyeol. Please.”

“You don’t want me to let you go.”

“It doesn’t matter what I want.”

“It matters to me. Who is making you do this?”

Chanyeol paused his ministrations when Jongin’s hand swept through his hair, the boy still looking off into the distance away from him. Still, he saw the moment on Jongin’s face when he knew he had succeeded in slowing him down, making him rethink.

“I grew up in an orphanage. I was the classic basket baby left on the doorstep. They said I wasn’t even a month old. My parents probably knew before I was even born… that they didn’t want me.

“I didn’t like talking to other kids so they thought I was strange. They thought there was something wrong with me. I already told you I met Taemin when I was six… that’s when he came to the orphanage. I still don’t know what happened to him before then.” Jongin sucked in a deep breath when he felt Chanyeol press a kiss into the skin of his knee, hands still gently massaging his calf. 

“There was a girl there we really didn’t like. Her name was Hyejin. She made fun of me and called me names so when we were ten we stole the doll she liked right out of her arms while she was sleeping. We hid it for a few weeks before Taemin tossed it in the trash. He said she deserved it. That was the first time I stole something. Two years later I was stealing jewelry, bikes, money… we were out on the streets… Taemin and I ran away. Years went by like that. I got caught, was imprisoned as a juvenile for a while. That’s how I met Junmyeon. He volunteered hours there. Talked to me a lot. Helped me think about my future. Then I met you.

“But… before I met you, Taemin picked me up from the detention center… with Minho. It was my first time meeting him. While we were separated, Taemin joined up with this gang called Phantom. I thought they were just a bunch of street punks until I met the older members. They were the real deal. Without them I never would’ve been able to get enrolled at Sungji in the first place. But for that to happen, for me to be able to stay where I’m staying now, I _had_ to get involved. Everything they gave me, it wasn’t out of charity. I… I had to walk around with the older guys collecting the debt payments from people they gave loans to. One of them was… was your dad.” Chanyeol’s hand stuttered slightly before he continued his motions. Jongin took another deep breath.

“I watched as they shot him. I saw a picture of his family on the wall. I saw you in the picture, a younger version of you, but I had seen you at school before and it took me a while to remember. I waited outside your old apartment to meet you but that was the day you ran to Mrs. Cha’s asking for money. I felt so guilty for everything that had happened because I just stood there and watched even though I knew what was happening was wrong. I helped you for selfish reasons. I helped you to make myself feel better about being a bad person… by doing something good.”

“I’m glad you helped,” Chanyeol said, voice deeper than usual.

“But it didn’t stop there. To help you… I was stupid. I started stealing again. I was good at it. It didn’t even cross my mind to find a job but you only had a week and… I knew I was good at it and… but I wanted to give you more. I needed to make sure you’d be ok. I borrowed money from one of the top people in Phantom. I ended up paying for it by running errands for him. I walked into all sorts of places, places where people were suffering just to drop off a package and walk away. He made me run around until I was losing my mind… that’s how I ended up in the hospital that time. Taemin was so caught up with the cool image of Phantom that he wasn’t there for me… but you were there and you wouldn’t go away and I didn’t understand. You made me so confused… 

“But things got better after that, so much better. I ended up working for this other guy in Phantom who was a lot nicer than the previous two. But… when you were out of town… there was an incident. He was just a kid… couldn’t have been older than me… but the _look_ in his eyes was so terrifying. I wondered what he had gone through. He died on top of me… his blood was all over my face, my hands too… but the knife he held was stuck so deep in me and everyone around me was dying. I thought for sure I was too. I thought of you. I thought that… maybe if I died like that… somewhere out in the woods then you’d have enough time left in your life to find someone else who was more suited for you. Nothing good can come out of hanging around with someone like me. Baekhyun was right. That’s one of the many reasons you should talk to him again.

“But I made it through. I was out cold for the rough part. The man I went on the job with was good at handling situations like the one I was in. They said I got an operation in a ward the gang basically controls. So again, I owe them. For saving me. So I know I have to let you go. I wanted to say goodbye properly. Use the money I made doing bad things to at least help you a little. But I’m scared. I don’t know if I could live if I were to truly let you go. But I know for sure I wouldn’t live if something terrible happened to you. I… I love you too much, so much that I don’t even know if this is love I’m feeling or something vile. I’m dangerous. Being with me is dangerous.”

Jongin was forced to stop speaking when Chanyeol covered his lips with his own. It was gentle and slow but long and by the time it ended Jongin’s hand had gripped the fabric of Chanyeol’s shirt and wouldn’t let go. 

“Do you remember what you said when we spoke for the first time outside of Mrs. Cha’s?” Chanyeol said after they separated. “You said you knew what it was like to not have options. That I was a tunnel, and you’d help me get out of it. I can’t be as confident as you were then… but I also told you I’d never let anyone take me away from you. So what kind of person would I be if I let you go? Even if what we’ve gotten ourselves into is over our heads, we’re here together and we’ll always be together. You might feel guilty, Jongin, but wanting me by your side isn’t selfish. Wanting me by your side gives me life. We’ll figure it out. Slowly. Together. So please don’t let me go.” Jongin shook his head.

“No… you don’t understand. They’re _bad_ people. Really _bad_.” 

“Luckily we know a lot of good people who can help out then.”

***

Kyungsoo readied his camera to record while Jongdae seemed to be in last second discussions with the open mic announcer as the performer before him was wrapping up. Next to him, Baekhyun sat stiffly. The table was cramped and about as far in the back of the cafe you could get but it’s the only one Jongdae had managed to save for them. Kyungsoo had been a little bit late because he had to finish his chores and Baekhyun had only just arrived, hair windswept and face flushed like he had been running. He assumed Baekhyun must’ve been so caught up in studying that he lost track of time which was good because that’s what Kyungsoo had told Jongdae over and over again when he was busy fretting watching each performance pass by, in his perception, very quickly. All things considered, it was a nice way to end their summer break, one last evening relaxing together before it was the home stretch to college entrance exams.

Up on the small stage, Jongdae briefly greeted the crowd, eyes lighting up in surprise when he saw that in only the couple minutes that had passed since he’d left Kyungsoo, Baekhyun had arrived. But once the instrumental began playing through the speakers, Kyungsoo watched with interest as all of Jongdae’s nerves seemed to vanish, replaced instead with a confident smile. 

_“Hey hobo man, hey Dapper Dan_

_You’ve both got your style but Brother you’re_

_Never fully dressed without a smile!”_

Not used to live music, Kyungsoo found himself tapping his feet. He’d never experienced an environment like this before, never had friends before much less ones that would invite him out to places. To make everything better, the pastries they served here were very good. 

_“You clothes may be Beau Brummelly_

_They stand out a mile but Brother you’re_

_Never fully dressed without a smile!”_

Jongdae had said he’d been practicing various songs on his own once he’d found information about the cafe’s open mic online weeks ago. While Kyungsoo didn’t know much about singing, he thought Jongdae was actually very good. He had a really nice voice. The others in the cafe seemed to enjoy the performance as well. 

_“Who cares what they’re wearing_

_On Main Street or Saville Row_

_It’s what you wear from ear to ear_

_And not from head to toe that matters…_

_So Senator, So Janitor_

_So long for a while remember you’re_

_Never fully dressed without a smile!”_

Whatever spirit had inhabited Jongdae while performing went away very quickly, a blush lighting up his face then the audience applauded. Kyungsoo kept filming, amused by Jongdae’s multiple bows. Eventually the organizer shooed him away as the next person in the line of performers took to the stage. Maneuvering his way back to their table he plopped down onto the empty stool.

“Did you guys like it?”

“Yeah Jongdae. I never knew you could sing,” Kyungsoo said. Both turned to Baekhyun to hear his answer.

“You did well. Just remember to spend your time more wisely until the entrance exams are over.”

“It was only one song, Baek.”

“Every minute counts. You really think you’re going to get out of this neighborhood by… chasing this dream? I think it would be best if we all headed out now that you’ve performed.” 

Kyungsoo did not like conflict and could only stare as Jongdae’s expression became darker and Baekhyun picked up his bag to swing it over his shoulder.

“You can go home if you want,” Jongdae said, “but Kyungsoo and I already planned to stick around for a bit. Some of these performances are actually really good. School starts up again in three days anyway. I don’t want to fry my brain more than I already have.” 

Baekhyun paused his movements, clearly not expecting Kyungsoo to go along with what Jongdae was saying. It’s true that he never hung out with Jongdae unless Baekhyun was there mostly because the two boys didn’t seemingly have anything in common. But Kyungsoo couldn’t get himself to move. He wanted Baekhyun to stay. He wanted to ask why he looked so unusually distraught. 

“Ok… cool… I’ll just go home. See you guys on Monday.”

“What about tomorrow’s study session?” Kyungsoo asked. It was the norm for Baekhyun to come over on Saturday nights half the time absorbing materials from the books Kyungsoo had never bothered to read stacked in the living room. 

“I can’t. Sorry.”

With that, Baekhyun left without another word, not even so much as looking at Jongdae before parting. Jongdae ended up running after him though. Kyungsoo could see them exchange a few words outside the cafe window that seemed to quickly devolve into an argument. By the time Kyungsoo had strengthened his resolve to calm down his two friends, Baekhyun had already shoved Jongdae away and left them both behind.

“What did he say?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Just the same old bullshit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OTHER STORIES BY UNUSUAL_TABLE
> 
> [Two Minutes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24045196/chapters/57859369): Jongin was born just two minutes after Kai. It took him a long time to realize he didn’t need to spend the rest of his life trying to catch up. [TWINS!AU - CHANKAI, SEKAI]
> 
> [Bound by Silver](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23604130/chapters/56642974): Master had three simple rules for Wolf to follow. The first was to never go beyond the fence. The second was to never speak to lodgers. The third was to never respond to the howl of the Mountain Spirits that could be heard on nights of the full moon. [WOFL!AU - SEKAI, BAEKYEOL, LAYHAN]
> 
> [Ghost Light](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24366250/chapters/58764295): After Junmyeon’s life falls apart, he retreats to his family’s small home near Daegu. Sequestered in his little house on the hill, he soon finds himself acquainted with an odd mailman named Zhang Yixing. [THEATRE!AU - SULAY]


	22. Act II: Chapter VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT II: First love heals, first love hurts, and for some… first love is the only love.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Baekhyun  
> Scene II - Chanyeol  
> Scene III - Luhan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Baekhyun got up more quickly than usual to head to the cafeteria once classes broke for lunch. He didn’t wait for Kyungsoo because his new friend had refused to speak to him all morning for some reason. Baekhyun told him with a weak smile that he’d see him during lunch, that he was going to the bathroom first, but in reality he was just going straight there. Quickly. Maybe if he got there first he’d see Jongdae and he’d be able to clear the air between them again. He didn’t want a repeat of the last time he’d pushed Jongdae away. He was sorry maybe not for what he said, but for how he said it.

It’s not like he meant to start an argument the last time they’d spoken. The stress had just been getting to him. He hadn’t told Jongdae or Kyungsoo that unless a miracle happened, he was not going to college next year. That realistically speaking, he might never be able to go. He hadn’t told Chanyeol either but it’s not like he ever saw him these days, always off with Jongin. It didn’t help that he still hadn’t been able to find a job. Everyone hiring in the neighborhood turned him away the second they realized who his mother was. Some even chose to proposition him instead. He’d almost let it happen once just so he could bring home something. But he came home empty handed. Still untouched. His mother didn’t blame him. She’d never blame him. 

As the minutes ticked by and the cafeteria filled up, neither of his friends showed themselves. He waited more, the stench from the nearby trash cans particularly strong today. He finally saw Jongdae enter only to sit with Zitao and others less than ideal types from his class section. Frustrated, he got up and went to the library. His attempts to study were futile though, concentration evading him. It didn’t matter that he didn’t really have a reason to study anymore. Without studying, without friends, without at least pretending he was going to do great things in life, he had nothing. 

Packing up his half finished lunch and going up to his classroom again he saw Kyungsoo eating lunch with a group of other students. He hesitated by the door but ultimately decided to not go in. Maybe Kyungsoo had grown tired of him. Maybe Jongdae vented to him and he felt awkward about it. Taking a deep breath, he went down to Chanyeol’s classroom, just to check, but didn’t see him. After looking into all of the freshmen classrooms he didn’t see Chanyeol with Jongin either. 

Lunch period ended before he found a place to finish his lunch but he hurried back to his classroom to maybe get in a quick chat with Kyungsoo before the beginning of the next class. He was relieved to see he was seated just where he was supposed to be. 

“Hey Soo, I missed you during lunch. Did you have a council meeting?” Kyungsoo looked up from one of his notebooks as if he was going to respond like normal, but hesitation appeared on his face and he looked away. “Oh come on, was the meeting that bad?”

“I didn’t have one.”

“Oh…” Maybe Kyungsoo was stressed. About what, Baekhyun wasn’t sure. They were in all of the same classes. Maybe his day off from studying put him behind his own study schedule after all. “Do you want to sit together during lunch tomorrow?”

“Sorry. I can’t.”

“Ok, cool. Just… just wondering.”

Baekhyun bit his lip and faced forward as their teacher walked in. He felt small next to Kyungsoo and by the end of the day his presence was suffocating so he packed up his bags, not responding to Kyungsoo’s look of surprise. This would be the first time he wouldn’t be staying for cram school. Everyone in the room probably had the same reaction.

Maybe Kyungsoo’s parents got into a fight and he was having an off day. Jongdae probably wanted to eat with his other friends just for a day or two as well. In a few days he’d forgive Baekhyun. Maybe he’d even come around to his point of view. Baekhyun could wait. He would wait. That’s all he could really do at this point anyway. 

***

Chanyeol and Jongin walked down the street, hands clasped together tightly. It was a part of Seoul that Chanyeol had never been to before. From the look on Jongin’s face, he’d never been this way either. It was very pretty, very elegant, littered with boutique shops that displayed all the sorts of clothes Chanyeol was used to seeing on weekday afternoon TV dramas. After going up yet another winding street, the last commercial building before what looked to be a string of gated homes, was the cafe they were looking for. 

It had still taken quite a few days to convince Jongin that they should contact Junmyeon and all things considered it was a relief it hadn’t taken as much convincing for his boyfriend to come back to school at the conclusion of their summer break. But Chanyeol tried his best to be there for Jongin no matter what that looked like. He didn’t take it personally when Jongin did not want to be touched, did not want to be caressed, did not want to be looked at while unclothed. 

In trying to convince Jongin about Junmyeon, they did have their first real argument. It was a surprise when Jongin came up to him after school after a whole week of Chanyeol not bringing it up again that he was given the green light to reach out. Given how busy Junmyeon must be, they were lucky they could meet him already this soon.

Chanyeol stopped walking when he felt Jongin’s hand tugging him back. He moved them away from the center of the sidewalk, a small tree shielding them from the sun.

“This gives me a bad feeling,” Jongin said. “What if this is a mistake?”

“Trust me. We have to start somewhere. Nobody knows we’re here,” Chanyeol assured him, pulling the boy forward to wrap his arms around him. “You will feel better after it’s over.”

Inside the cafe, the two of them spotted Junmyeon all the way in the back corner. The place only had a handful of people at the register and a couple eating in who were too absorbed in each other to notice the two of them pass by. The young officer looked a bit tired but smiled just like he did the first time Chanyeol had seen him, relaxed in his green polo shirt instead of a suit. He watched his gaze fall to Jongin’s damaged wrist briefly.

“Good morning Officer Kim. It’s nice to see you again,” he said sitting down. Jongin sat in the chair beside him.

“It’s good to see you again too.  _ Park _ Chanyeol, was it?” He nodded. “What can I help you boys out with today? You sounded a bit… distressed over the phone.” Chanyeol looked over to Jongin who looked like if he pulled at the fabric of his jeans any harder they’d rip. 

“Jongin wanted to report some trouble, right Jongin?” Jongin tilted his head down more. It looked like he was forming words but none of them were audible. 

“I… I… th-there was… I’m sorry I can’t do this let's leave,” he said quickly, pushing back his chair and jolting up from his seat but Chanyeol grabbed his arm before he could walk away. Junmyeon looked between the two of them but didn’t say anything, sipping his coffee like nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

“Remember what we talked about this morning?” Chanyeol whispered. He rubbed circles on Jongin’s back waiting for him to calm down until they were eventually both seated again.

“There was a… a murder… in the woods a few weeks ago. I… think organized crime might’ve been involved,” he said quietly. 

“Where in the woods?” Junmyeon asked. 

“Maybe… an hour and a little bit away… in a warehouse of some kind.” Now Junmyeon frowned. 

“Can you tell me about this murder?” Junmyeon kept his tone light but Chanyeol still unclenched the fist Jongin was making before he broke through his own skin. 

“They hung a man… from the rafters. It was hard to see… it was a little dark but… I think they took his eyes. His feet and hands too. Maybe more, it’s hard to remember.”

“Can you tell me anything else about the body?”

“He was… naked. Except for a flag. It was ripped somehow and it hung around his neck. It was black with a silver dragon.” Junmyeon leaned back in his chair putting his coffee down on the table.

“A flag? With a silver dragon?”

“Yes sir.” Junmyeon sighed.

“A warehouse in the woods is a bit out of the way for a high school student, Jongin. I am aware of this incident but it worries me that you were at the scene.” Chanyeol’s mind went into overdrive as he felt Jongin tense up under his fingers much more than he had before.

“Please, Officer Kim. Jongin didn’t have anything to do with it. He-”

“I’m not saying that he did, Chanyeol. You are relaying information to me while I am off duty and I consider Jongin to be a friend. This is not an interrogation. What I do want to know is if Jongin is in any trouble that he needs to get out of.” Chanyeol smiled.

“Yes, Officer Kim. That would be wonderful.”

“Good. It means a lot that you’ve reached out for help.” Jongin acknowledged Junmyeon’s words with a small dip of the head still half curled into Chanyeol. “I can’t say much right now but it would really help me if you could draw and explain this silver dragon a little bit more.”

***

Luhan watched the gears turning in Siwon’s head as he stared at a smiling Yixing. He had just gotten off the plane from China and had a lot of questions about their new addition, not getting much information from Yifan other than  _ “you will see for yourself.” _ Yixing could sometimes be annoyingly peppy.

“You make me lose seventeen guys and  _ this _ is what I get as a replacement?” Before Luhan could launch into his prepared response, Yixing jumped in not having it in him to look offended. 

“Yes, Mr. Choi. I’m good like seventeen,” he said in broken Korean. Siwon raised an eyebrow. 

“Keep in mind,” Luhan decided to jump in, “this is only happening because the boss didn’t like your attitude  _ or _ the way your people have been treating me and even interfering in my work. Last time was a warning. We don’t usually take on partners and we could easily do this without Sapphire. Since you’ve seen Phantom’s capabilities it would be unwise for you, however, to back out of this deal. These aren’t my words, I’m just relaying the message.” Now Siwon was angry but he knew Luhan was right.

“If Yifan wants to play the game this way then I guess this is how we’re going to play it.” Yixing’s eyes widened with glee at Siwon’s response. 

“You are the very best!” he shouted, forming a heart with his arms above his head. Luhan looked over at him incredulously but the moment they left Siwon’s office, Yixing’s face fell into something much more neutral with only a hint of amusement. “You didn’t tell me he was a little bitch,” Yixing said in his native tongue, light tone not matching his words at all. Luhan rolled his eyes.

“Whatever. Just… behave… and go frolic around and chase dogs or whatever it is you-”

“I would watch my mouth if I were you, Lulu,” Yixing snapped, moving into his personal space. “I’m here for  _ good _ now, I have my  _ own _ orders, and  _ I’m _ just getting started.” 

Yes. How could Luhan have forgotten? He really did hate Zhang Yixing. 


	23. Act II: Chapter VII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT II: First love heals, first love hurts, and for some… first love is the only love.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Jongin  
> Scene II - Baekhyun  
> Scene III - Jongdae

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Jongin stared up at where the seafoam green tiles of the wall met a white ceiling, concentrating on breathing in deeply and breathing out deeply. He heard a rowdy group of students pass by the other side of the door to the single occupancy and often overlooked bathroom right by the back entrance of the school. It opened up onto a small and poorly kept parking lot that was used more as a place for students to loiter than for teachers to actually park. 

He had felt almost giddy and light on his feet ever since speaking to Junmyeon with Chanyeol by his side. He’d slept straight through the night, whining when Chanyeol got up to get ready and head down to Mrs. Cha’s store for his restocking duties. He’d followed after him, of course, helping as much as he could with one hand and shyly initiating small stolen kisses by the refrigerated section. Chanyeol first stared at him almost as if in awe before lighting up with his usual megawatt smile.

_“Can you two please stop staring at each other like that?”_ Sooyoung had complained from where she sat next to Jongin by the window on the bus, _“it’s gross.”_ And that had made Jongin blush even if it hadn’t deterred Chanyeol who stood in the aisle next to them. 

Sure Jongin hadn’t told Junmyeon about Phantom. The name of the gang hadn’t even come up. But he hoped that whatever the meaning Junmyeon got from the flag he’d seen would at least make things less violent, might help him catch the people who were truly bad and inflicting this violence rather than the people who just wanted to live. It felt good not shouldering the full weight of what he had seen that night. It helped that Chanyeol was so proud of him for it, so proud that their usual morning chat before class in the shade of the gym building somehow led to Jongin now biting back moans in the bathroom while Chanyeol swallowed him down on his knees like a man starved. 

Jongin chanced a look down from the seafoam green tiles, heart nearly exploding out of his chest when he saw that in the process of trying to distract himself, Chanyeol had opened his own pants and was jerking himself off at the same speed. His hips jerked at the sight and Chanyeol constricted and moaned around him in response. Jongin’s legs felt like they would give out at any moment and when his one available hand left his mouth to sturdy itself in his boyfriend’s hair he blushed even deeper at the sound he made that bounced uninhibited off the tile walls.

Soon he was releasing down the older student’s throat. His legs really did give out then, sliding with his back along the wall until he sat breathless on the floor in a daze. Before he could register what was happening, Chanyeol was standing up in front of him, reaching down to force his head back before finishing all over his face.

The two of them fell silent, Chanyeol letting go and kneeling before him looking a bit unsure of himself, a stark contrast to only moments ago. 

“Did you…” Chanyeol began, still trying to catch his breath, “did you like that?”

Jongin found himself slowly nodding and Chanyeol leaned in to kiss him with all his strength quickly enough that he didn’t get a chance to become embarrassed or self conscious about how he looked. It had been a while, he realized, since they had last been like this with each other. He wondered how long Chanyeol had wanted him this way and the thought only made Jongin curl his fingers against Chanyeol’s nape even more, lost in the movement of the taller boy’s tongue. He still found it hard to believe that after all that had happened, Chanyeol still wanted him at all.

Swiftly, he pushed that thought out of his mind before it could take root. Chanyeol loved him and he loved Chanyeol. This would never change.

Several minutes later, Chanyeol held him as they stood in front of the sink and mirror, Jongin wiping off his face as Chanyeol buried his nose into his uninjured shoulder. 

“Don’t think I forgot about what I was trying to tell you earlier, Hyung,” he said.

“And what would that be, Joginnie?” 

Jongin leaned back against Chanyeol’s embrace, their surroundings dawning on him again slowly as he stared at his damp but clean face and fringe in the mirror. He could only be grateful the place was clean since it was still early on a Monday morning. 

“You need to talk to Baekhyun. Make things right.”

“It’s complicated,” Chanyeol said with a sigh, “just like you and Taemin are complicated.” 

“Don’t be unreasonable. You know that’s different.”

The day Jongin had gone back to his own apartment, Taemin and Minho were fooling around with each other in the shower and remnants of lines of cocaine still dirtied the kitchen table. Taemin had walked into the bedroom just as Jongin had finished packing everything he needed to stay away for a while. It had been their first time seeing each other since his job with Xiah. 

He should’ve said something. Jongin _knew_ he should’ve said something. But he hadn’t. He’d left his best friend behind, not like Taemin had moved to say anything either. Instead he just looked at him like he was a stranger. It was only after that when Jongin realized, walking through the park near school one day during what should have been Taemin’s shift, that someone else was working the ice cream stand. He should’ve asked Taemin what happened, should’ve said he would be there for him so he didn’t need to rely on whatever empty promises Minho had made him. Now his friend wasn't answering his calls and each time he went back to the apartment, it was empty.

Chanyeol began rubbing his back and the slight irritation he’d felt spike towards the senior slowly ebbed away.

“I’m sorry,” Chanyeol said, “that wasn’t right of me. I know Baekhyun better than anyone. He’ll be alright. We’ll be alright with each other, eventually. He burns off frustration by reading books, likes to work through things on his own. It's how he's always been.”

“Promise me you’ll speak to him soon.”

“I promise.”

***

Baekhyun gripped his lunch bag when the teacher dismissed their class, sensing more than seeing Kyungsoo get up from their shared desk to wander somewhere Baekhyun wasn’t invited. Now that it was midway through another week, Baekhyun had more than gotten the hint by now that Kyungsoo wasn’t just having a bad day and was instead avoiding him for some unknown reason. He twisted his ankles together under his desk, watching a bunch of kids outside on the field eating lunch and playing games.

Not wanting to spend another day eating alone, Baekhyun gathered up his courage to at least ask Jongdae what was going on since they usually told each other everything. After all, Baekhyun was still the only one who knew Jongdae had been walking around with a bullet wound in his shoulder. That had to count for something. 

Strutting into the cafeteria, Baekhyun saw Jongdae right where he knew he’d be sitting at a table with a bunch of his friends from class. Pulse jumping at his luck, he saw one seat empty right next to Jongdae.

“Long time no see, Jongdae,” he said, sitting down after dropping his lunch on the table and folding his hands in his lap. “You haven’t introduced me to your new… friends.” Baekhyun adjusted his smile until he felt like it was bright enough, slightly frightened of the people he saw sitting across from him. The whole table stopped talking, looking between him and Jongdae.

“Hey Jongdae,” a short girl with fake eyelashes said, “the nerdy twink is talking to you.” Baekhyun’s fists tightened in his lap as he tried to brush off the girl’s comment. 

“Jongdae and I have been friends for a long time but we’re in different sections this year. My name is Byun Baekhyun What’s your name?” The girl scoffed.

“Friends? Really? All we’ve heard is how miserable you make him. What a fucking cocktease.” Baekhyun’s smile faltered but Jongdae still didn’t look at him.

“Oh… well… he can be dramatic sometimes. I’m going to go get a soda. Jongdae, do you want anything?” His friend shook his head. “Ok then. Be right back!” When he turned away from the bench to get up, someone stuck their foot out causing him to trip. He fell on the floor, hand landing in gum someone had left behind. Ignoring the feeling of the germs probably crawling up his arm, Baekhyun hurried away to the vending machine to collect himself.

Jongdae’s new friends obviously weren’t very nice. Just as Baekhyun thought, they were not ideal company for his childhood friend. Maybe all this time they’d been making him miserable and Jongdae didn’t think he had the option of sitting with Baekhyun anymore simply because of a little spat. Baekhyun just had to come up with something reasonable to say for the both of them to escape. They could eat outside. The weather was perfect today.

He eyed the cost of the sodas nervously, but pulled from some of the spare change he made the night before. After a lot of convincing he managed to get a job running delivery for a local Chinese restaurant and his mother let him keep a small portion of his earnings for himself. 

When he turned around, a can of orange soda in his hand, he felt a heaviness in his stomach as he spotted Jongdae’s friends throwing pieces of his lunch all over the floor. Rushing back before they ruined it all, Baekhyun grabbed the fake eyelash girl’s hand that was crushing his roll of kimbap.

“Excuse me, but what do you think you’re doing?”

“Oh look everyone. He’s touching me! Taeyeon would probably kill him if _she_ saw.” 

“Guys… stop.” Baekhyun looked over to Jongdae trying to force down the wetness forming in his eyes. He finally spoke. Now they could both leave.

“Stop what? You’re the one who said he’s been treating you like shit. He thinks he’s too smart for you! Fucking loser. Good grades don’t seem too nice now with no friends, do they?” 

Baekhyun didn’t even care about the rest of his lunch being thrown to the ground, focusing on Jongdae to see if everything the girl said was true. The one glance his friend gave him confirmed everything.

“I… I’ll see you later then. I bought your favorite,” he said, placing the soda can near Jongdae’s lunch. 

Only then noticing that a bunch of other kids at different tables were all looking at him, he put his head down and rushed to the library.

***

Jongdae rolled a pencil between his fingers watching the hands on the clock slowly glide across the white surface. Zitao sat next to him participating in a massive group chat on his phone. Over summer break he got the news that he’d finally be making his idol debut and his newly dyed blonde hair set the entire school abuzz. Even though he got offered a chance to transfer to any of Seoul’s best performing arts high schools for his last term, he decided to stay at Sungji gaining the admiration of all. 

Jongdae spent the entire afternoon thinking about what happened at lunch. Everything got out of control and Luna’s comments weren’t necessary at all. Sure Jongdae wanted to irritate Baekhyun, maybe piss him off a little, but rumors were going around that he’d been crying in the library bathroom well after lunch ended and Baekhyun never missed class.

By the time he reached the door of Baekhyun’s classroom after the final period, his friend was already speed walking down the hall and into the stairwell.

“Baek!” A homeroom teacher shot him a glare for shouting in the hallway. He ignored it. “Baekhyun wait!” 

Baekhyun was small, but he’d always been extraordinarily fast. Noticing that Jongdae wasn’t going to stop pursuing him he broke out into a sprint across the soccer field and past the school gate. Jongdae chased after him as best as he could until they got to the park. He slowed down once Baekhyun went into the trees because he knew there was a wall behind them. There weren’t many places where his friend could go at this point.

Jongdae made a sigh of relief when he found Baekhyun crouched down between the wall and a large tree, taking the chance to shake out his shoulders and catch his breath.

“Go away Jongdae. I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Baek… don’t be angry. They were just fooling around,” he said walking closer only to have thick binder thrown at him, rings opening and papers scattering about. Baekhyun didn’t seem to care.

“ _Fooling_ around? I’ve never been so humiliated in my life! They pushed me, insulted me, destroyed the only lunch my mom has made for me in months, and you did nothing about it! You sat there and pretended like I… like I didn’t exist! Like you haven’t been saying bad things about me to your entire class!” Baekhyun’s voice cracked and then he was crying and Jongdae could never stand it when Baekhyun cried.

“Calm down, please? I just wanted to let you feel how _I_ felt.”

“What is that even supposed to mean?” Jongdae gripped his sides for a moment, struggling to come up with the right words to say.

“At times you make me feel like I’m stupid, that my dream to be a singer doesn’t matter. It’s like whatever path you’ve chosen for yourself you automatically deemed to be the right path for every single person on the planet and if they didn’t take the same path as you then they were worthless or doomed to become failures. It didn’t feel good.” Baekhyun didn’t respond for a long time, ugly sobs quieting down into a seething anger.

“So you _purposely_ went out of your way to make me feel like shit? And put Kyungsoo up to it too?”

“Only because that’s what you were doing to me!”

“But I didn’t mean to, Jongdae! You should’ve said something! I had no idea! All I knew was that you went off to become a singer and came back after being _shot_ by some psycho! I was showing you the only path I knew!

“It’s… it’s… but it’s not just that, you-”

“I what? You thought I was a little bitchy so you thought I deserved to be bullied in front of the entire school?”

“It wasn’t bullying!”

“THEN WHAT THE FUCK WAS IT, KIM JONGDAE?” Baekhyun reached behind him, tipping his backpack over, a large selection of his photocopied textbooks and notebooks soaked all the way through. “YOUR FUCKING FRIENDS ATTACKED ME IN THE BATHROOM. WHERE WERE YOU? MOPING AROUND ABOUT WANTING TO BE AN IDOL?” Jongdae stared in shock at Baekhyun’s belongings, entire photocopies he knew were meticulously put together coded and notated, still dripping with water.

“I… I didn’t know…”

“You knew in the cafeteria. What did you do then?”

“I just… you weren’t always like this, Baekhyun. Not until Taeyeon came along and ruined everything. It’s always about her. Without her-”

“What on Earth does Taeyeon have to do with _any_ of this?”

“She has to do with everything! She always has!” 

“WHY?”

“BECAUSE I’VE BEEN IN LOVE WITH YOU FOR YEARS!” Baekhyun’s eyes widened, then narrowed, hands ripping out chunks of grass from either side of him. He shoved the binders and makeshift textbooks around him back into his bag, Jongdae standing still in shock before him.

“Well you sure have a great _fucking_ way of showing it,” he hissed, leaving the unsalvageable and Jongdae behind in the shade of the trees.


	24. Act II: Chapter VIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT II: First love heals, first love hurts, and for some… first love is the only love.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Jongin  
> Scene II - Kyungsoo  
> Scene III - Junmyeon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Jongin sat in his favorite booth at the chicken restaurant, head lolling to the side every now and then. Chanyeol had told him to wait in the park if he was so determined to once again not go to evening lessons in order to enjoy the good weather while it lasted. He had sat there for a bit but ended up coming inside the restaurant just to get a glimpse of the top of Chanyeol’s head every now and then, not to mention he loved the smell of fried chicken. At the very least he was still getting his homework done albeit slowly. When he heard footsteps stop in front of him he smiled, eyes still closed.

“Hyung, can you get me another milkshake?” he asked. When there was no answer he cracked open one eye. Where he expected to see Chanyeol he instead saw a disheveled Baekhyun.

“Can I… can I sit down?” 

Jongin could tell he had been crying even if his eyes were no longer red. There were dirt stains on his knees and the knot on his tie was loose and lopsided. 

“Uh… sure, go ahead.” The senior slid into the other side of the booth.

“Can I have a fry?”

“Go for it.” One fry turned out to be something just shy of twenty.

“Sorry, I’m just really hungry,” he said, wiping his fingers on a napkin. 

Even though Jongin had been pestering Chanyeol to speak to Baekhyun for weeks, Jongin had only ever spoken to the guy once and he knew he didn’t have a very favorable opinion of him - that’s what made Chanyeol start to avoid him in the first place. It would be wrong to say that Jongin disliked Baekhyun, but he was still more or less a stranger to him.

“Are you looking for Chanyeol?” Jongin asked. Baekhyun bit his lip and when he did he could tell they had been bleeding. 

“Kind of. I mostly wanted to talk to you though.”

“Oh?” Baekhyun folded his hands on the table eyeing Jongin’s English homework. 

“You might want to recheck number six.” Perhaps Jongin’s slight annoyance showed on his face because the elder quickly apologized and cursed under his breath. “Bad habit.”

“It’s ok.” When Jongin looked down at number six he didn’t see anything wrong but didn’t really want to ask Baekhyun to point out his error. He actually wanted Baekhyun to leave but that wouldn’t be constructive. He needed Baekhyun to talk to Chanyeol even if now wasn’t the most convenient time.

“No, it’s not. I was kind of a dick to you the last time we were both here together. I... came to apologize. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. Assumed things.”

“Oh.” Baekhyun ran his tongue across damaged lips before biting them again. “I mean, thanks? This is just so out of the blue.”

“Yeah… I know. I just-”

“Baekhyun!” Both of their heads turned to the kitchen to see Chanyeol walking quickly towards them. It must be time for one of his breaks. By the time he reached their table he had a strange look on his face but went straight to Jongin’s side. “Are you ok? Did he say anything to you?” Jongin frowned.

“Well you could  _ ask  _ him since he’s sitting  _ right there _ .” Baekhyun fidgeted in his seat under Chanyeol’s gaze and just like Jongin, Chanyeol seemed to notice the oddity of the state Baekhyun was in.

“What do you want? Why are you talking to Jongin?” Jongin squeezed Chanyeol’s hand a bit, trying to get him to relax but Baekhyun just turned paler than he already was.

“Nothing… I just wanted to say sorry… for the things I said a while ago.” Chanyeol scratched his nose then looked between both boys.

“Oh. Ok, good.”

“Yeah.”

“You ok?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool.” Jongin kicked Chanyeol’s shin. He tried to communicate through small gestures and eye contact but Chanyeol was choosing to be an idiot and there wasn’t much Jongin could do about it.

“I have an idea. How about you and Baekhyun go out for a little walk since you’re obviously on break right now and Baekhyun doesn’t seem like he has anywhere to be?” The two boys were silent and after a while Jongin noticed Chanyeol was mostly just looking at him and Baekhyun was eyeing his fries.

“No, that’s ok. I have to go home now anyway,” Baekhyun said. “Just wanted to apologize. Chanyeol let’s… catch up soon?” 

“Of course. I’d like that.” Chanyeol gave a small smile and Baekhyun looked at the grip Chanyeol now had around Jongin’s shoulders. 

“You guys are cute, by the way. I haven’t said congratulations yet. See you at school.” Baekhyun began to walk away, a little bit of a slouch in his normally perfect posture. 

“Wait, Baekhyun?” Jongin found himself calling out and Baekhyun turned around slightly to look at him. He had put himself on the spot. He could even feel Chanyeol looking at him strangely. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah I’m sure,” Baekhyun said. “But… thank you for asking.”

Jongin wanted to say something to Chanyeol but he was already preparing the side of his face with kisses as Baekhyun disappeared into the night, promising to get him a new milkshake. Free of charge, of course. Everything was probably fine. Now maybe Chanyeol and Baekhyun would start speaking to each other again. That alone made Jongin feel less guilty. Maybe now things would really start turning around for everyone. Everything changing for the better.

***

Kyungsoo almost forgot what it was like to be alone but now that he knew what it was like to have some level of steady companionship, he hoped Jongdae and Baekhyun worked out their differences soon.

He knew something had gone wrong between them when Baekhyun walked into class that afternoon with damp hair, his white shirt soaked almost from top to bottom. Deep down he didn’t want to ignore Baekhyun but Jongdae assured him that Baekhyun’s issues had been going on for years and if he just stepped back for a bit to let the two of them solve it then everything would go back to normal. But Baekhyun didn’t look like he was getting anywhere close back to normal.

“Kyungsoo are you alright? I made you extra broccoli.” His mother had a lot of makeup on today. His dad was pouring them both a cup of wine. In the distance he saw they were getting ready for a game of Clue. 

“Probably a girl,” his dad grumbled, “just make sure she doesn’t have any diseases.” His mom gasped.

“Kyungsoo, did you get a classmate pregnant? Is she pretty?” One look at both of them got them to stop talking but Kyungsoo still excused himself politely.

His room seemed darker without Baekhyun and Jongdae and even though at first he thought his two talkative friends were making him less productive as far as studying was concerned, sitting in the silence of his room these past several days had been suffocating.

But he knew that his two new friends didn’t really need him at the end of the day. They’d known each other for longer than Kyungsoo had ever kept in contact with anyone aside from his family. If he bothered either of them now, the other would get mad at him and before he knew it he could end up friendless and put a larger rift between two boys who had been friends since they were toddlers. 

He took out his phone looking at his short list of contacts. It was just “Baekhyun” and “Jongdae” nestled amongst “Mom,” “Dad,” and “Cousin.” Maybe if he called Baekhyun or maybe sent him a text it would be alright? A short one? Maybe it would be better to contact Jongdae. He wanted to apologize, wanted to help.

But it was best for him to just stay out of it. People seemed to like it the most when he didn’t get involved. It was hard though, hard to know what to do when it had taken him eighteen years to make friends. What would he know about keeping them?

***

“Wu Jiaheng,” Junmyeon said, hair sticking out in all different directions. “This is his estate near Beijing.” Youngwoon looked through the photos, black flags holding gold dragons standing out prominently.

“How do we know this is the same dragon design? It’s not like dragons are particularly uncommon in emblems or markings. This one isn’t even silver, it’s gold.”

“That might be true but the Wu’s have been flirting with the crime world for ages, they’ve just never gotten caught. To the public they have an honest, successful enterprise running everything from hotels to casinos to producing luxury goods.” Youngwoon undid the rest of his tie which was already hanging haphazardly around his neck.

“This whole thing is a dead end. Tons of organized crime happens in China and it’s none of our business. We should focus on the ones we know of in Seoul: Sapphire and Phantom. You need to get that kid you found down to the station since he’s got to be in one of them. Since he wasn’t found in that stack of Sapphire guys he’s probably related to Phantom. We bring him in, get him to spill, then lock him and all of his friends up for good. Tell me his name.” Youngwoon leaned back in his chair, arms crossed waiting for Junmyeon to speak.

“My _ off the record informant  _ is probably in the lowest ranks. In order to get the people at the very top and put these gangs out of business, we have to work slowly and get all of the details. Ruining a kid’s life isn’t going to help solve the larger problem.” Youngwoon laughed.

“Do you really think we’re going to put an end to organized crime in Seoul? Everyone knows who the leaders of these things are whether it be Wu Jiaheng or Kim Youngmin or Choi Seungho. Guys like that have friends  _ in  _ the police force  _ and _ the government that are going to keep them safe. The best thing we can do is get the idiots that follow them off the streets and behind bars or wait around until they put each other six feet under like we clearly saw out by that warehouse. You’re the one that got us dragged into this investigation so someone has to get locked up. That’s what the Commissioner wants, a good front page headline. You might value this unofficial informant, but his life is already over. You can’t just quit an organization like Phantom. That’s not how any of this works. If any one of them so much as gets a  _ suspicion _ he’s talked to you then he’s as good as dead and would be safer behind bars.” 

Junmyeon put the files he was holding down on his desk. The both of them were tired. On top of mob-related homicides they had a number of other cases they had to get through. The constant late nights they were pulling were keeping Youngwoon away from whoever he had at home and Junmyeon seeing double no matter how much coffee he consumed.

“I know how you feel and I know why but we can’t go cutting corners. People trust us to make the right decisions, not the easy ones. As for the informant, I was hoping to make a case for witness protection.”

“No, Junmyeon.” Youngwoon ran his hands over his face in frustration, eyes looking directly up into the grating florescent light that hung above them. “You withholding information from me is getting in the way of this investigation. If the boy you’ve been speaking to is really so worth guarding, I promise nothing bad will happen to him when we bring him in. But if he’s been involved with something like murder or trafficking which are honestly the only two reasons he would’ve been out there that night, there’s nothing either of us can do. He’d be a criminal and would be charged as an adult. So forget about him and let’s talk about you. Your choices are you give me the name or you’re looking at an immediate transfer to archives at best and indefinite suspension at worst.” They both sat in tense silence earning looks from the few people passing by their desks. 

“He hasn’t done anything wrong.” Youngwoon sighed, grabbing the files off Junmyeon’s desk and putting them in a box. 

Junmyeon couldn’t let this happen. He was the best recruit the force has had in ages and no matter what Youngwoon said, they’d end up pinning the big guys on this one. They  _ had  _ to. Things wouldn’t play out the same way they did years ago. Junmyeon chose this path so he could make a true difference, make the streets safer. This was not fair. This was not reflective of the police force’s values. But looking around at the office, Junmyeon only saw weary officers. How many of them had once been like him?

He grabbed Youngwoon’s wrist as he was reaching for one of the last files.

“Kim Jongin.” 

Youngwoon leaned forward, giving Junmyeon a pat on the back.

“Good work.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *pokes head out from underneath pile of fic outline*
> 
> Hello to perhaps the handful of people who are reading this! I hope things have been enjoyable so far.
> 
> I meant to update all my fics this weekend but I'm suffering from the Junmyeon enlistment blues... even with the papa Jongdae sighting. *cries*
> 
> As always, just give a shout if something in the story sucks or is confusing. XD


	25. Act II: Chapter IX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT II: First love heals, first love hurts, and for some… first love is the only love.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Chanyeol  
> Scene II - Baekhyun  
> Scene III - Kyungsoo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Chanyeol opened his eyes not knowing how long he had dozed off for. But Jongin was still sitting staring off into the distance, his fingers absentmindedly combing through Chanyeol’s hair. Part of him did not want to move, did not want Jongin to know he was awake. His boyfriend’s lap was more comfortable than he ever anticipated it would be. Comfortable and warm. Even though it was still September, the air today was a little bit nippy. Eventually Jongin looked down, surprised to meet his open eyes.

“Hey there,” Chanyeol said lazily, not having it in him to feel embarrassed. 

“Hey there to you too, mister. Have a nice nap?”

Today was the only day of the week their free periods matched up and Chanyeol did feel a bit sorry for sleeping through probably half of it. He sat up and instead rested his head on Jongin’s shoulder, an arm sliding around his waist.

“Yeah. What were you thinking about all that while?” Jongin hummed against him in thought.

“A lot of things I suppose… like what I’m going to get your sister since you inconveniently decided to not tell me it was her birthday until over a week after it happened.”

“Don’t get her anything. She already thinks you’re handsome.” Jongin laughed at that but let the topic go letting the two of them fall into a peaceful silence. “Can I ask you something though?” Chanyeol said after a while.

“Shoot.” 

“Has Officer Kim gotten back to you yet?” It was something he’d been hesitant to ask. Jongin had seemed content to not mention it or anything involving Phantom. Now that his arm was out of a sling, he knew it was only a matter of time until things were how they used to be with his boyfriend slipping away to do whatever it was Xiah asked of him.

“No. I don’t know if he’s supposed to though. It’s not like we can know about an ongoing investigation.”

“I was hoping more about what he can do to help you specifically, Jonginnie.”

“I don’t really want to talk about this right now,” Jongin said.

Chanyeol closed his eyes and held his tongue until all the objections running through his head passed. Later then. He would ask another time. He held Jongin a little tighter. 

“Ok.”

He knew Jongin must’ve felt bad about it from the way he held his face when he kissed him. Chanyeol also knew he was a fool for him from how quickly his pulse skyrocketed at something so gentle. The more he got of Jongin, the more days he spent with him, the more he wanted. So he had to remind himself not to suffocate the younger with his worries or with his desires. He never wanted to be the source of his stress or sadness. 

“I… uh…” Chanyeol mumbled, willing himself to calm down, “just wanted to let you know that I’m following through with something! I got my boss to let me off at seven this Friday so I was wondering if you wanted to… go to the movies with me?” 

Now Jongin was smiling again, the kind that made his eyes twinkle more than usual… or at least that’s what Chanyeol thought. He suppressed a shiver at the sight.

“What did you want to see?” Jongin asked.

“We can see whatever you want but  _ WALL-E _ is out. How does that sound?” 

“Sounds like a date.” Jongin stood up from the ground trying to flatten the newly formed wrinkles in his shirt.

“There’s one more thing though!” He looked back at Chanyeol who was standing up now too. “Sooyoung! She’s… she’s like one of the top kids in her class or something, so her and some other selected students are taking a weekend trip touring different top colleges around the country. She’s such a little genius! But, well, she won’t be home all weekend.” Chanyeol’s stomach was doing flips as he spoke, trying his best not to stumble over his words and he could’ve sworn he felt the spirit leave his body the longer Jongin looked at him, growing blush the most obvious he’d ever seen it under his darker skin. 

“Oh… ok. That’s great. For Sooyoung. A great opportunity.”

“Yeah.”

When Chanyeol walked Jongin back to his classroom, the younger failed to meet his eyes as he waved goodbye.

***

Baekhyun sighed as he sat down with his instant noodles, back resting against one of the library’s many shelves. He had been stressing so much over the past couple days mostly about everything Jongdae had said and done to him. This time wouldn’t be the first time he’d brushed off a confession from his friend except this time Jongdae had said it without any hint of laughter or playfulness. But Baekhyun could never feel that way for Jongdae. No matter how much he snuck glimpses at Chanyeol and Jongin spending time together and fooling around when they thought no one could see them, he couldn’t imagine himself that way with Jongdae. He couldn’t even imagine himself like that with Taeyeon, not now. Whenever he could finally quit his delivery job, Baekhyun could not imagine letting anyone else touch him ever again no matter how badly he needed the money. Friends. That’s all he needed.

He had planned on avoiding Jongdae, planned on avoiding everyone actually, but Jongdae hadn’t shown up to school since that day and Baekhyun wanted to give him a lecture about missing too much class. It could get him held back a year. Chanyeol said hello to him once but it was awkward. There was too much of a tornado in his mind to be able to talk to him properly past pleasantries especially with Jongin always standing right next to him. 

His favorite study spot had now become his favorite lunch spot. The library was even more quiet during this time since most other people were hanging out in the classrooms, cafeteria, or outside. The silence gave him time to think but then he heard the library doors slam open suddenly, boisterous laughter following.

“Hey! Byun Baekhyun!” a deep voice shouted out before a particularly large student appeared from around the corner followed by the girl with fake eyelashes and two other boys. “You’ve managed to scare Jongdae away for three days straight now. Our table feels so empty.” Baekhyun continued to eat, not wanting to look intimidated. 

“Oh look,” the girl sneered, “he thinks he’s too good to talk to us.”

“Don’t you guys have anything better to do?” Baekhyun snapped, somewhat quietly since they were in a library after all. “An empty seat shouldn’t prevent you from eating and I doubt you care if Jongdae hangs around you or not. You’re not even his real friends!” The biggest student stopped right in front of him.

“Yeah, you’re right. But Jongdae made us realize how much people like you piss us off. Luckily we got that annoying class president Do to spill where you’ve been hiding.” Baekhyun’s heart skipped a beat, eyes shooting wide in concern for the one he still considered to be a friend, but before he could ask any questions the boy’s foot knocked his cup of ramen into his lap, a shout tearing from his throat as hot water stung his hands. He grabbed him by the collar, lifted him up from the ground and punched him in the stomach until he stopped struggling.

“Let me… let me go! I’m a waste of your time!”

“Hey it looks like he pissed his pants,” he heard the girl say probably pointing at the now cooling soup that had landed all over his lap.

The boy’s arm wrapped around his neck in a headlock, dragging him through the empty library and out the back door.

“He’s so light!” his voice boomed. “Just like a girl!” Baekhyun was starting to get dizzy from the lack of oxygen and his stomach was still throbbing with pain when they threw him into the dirt.

“Let me tell you something,” one of the other boys said, standing over him and spitting in his face. “You may think you’re gonna wind up better than us, but our parents work together in the same factory, did you know that? We probably even live in the same neighborhood so next time my dad visits your place and your mom opens up her legs for him again, I’ll make sure to come along to help film, ok?” The girl burst out into laughter.

“Oh my god is that really true? Hey Baekhyun, are you gonna be a whore too?” Baekhyun’s throat felt dry and his normal attitude had been beaten down by the embarrassment and shame. He still groaned when they pulled him up from the ground again, something hard and flat striking him against the back of his head making his legs go weak and his vision fuzzy.

“Shit!” he heard one of the students shout, “did you just fucking knock him out?”

“I dunno. We gotta hide him somewhere!” Baekhyun felt himself being lifted into the air like a sack of rice, eyes catching the sun briefly before rolling to the back of his head. He was thrown into one of the dumpsters, school materials tossed in one by one after him until his empty backpack landed across his face. The kids shut the metal lid and slid the bar over it, sealing it shut.

***

Kyungsoo raced through the halls realizing the gravity of what he had done when Baekhyun missed their entire history class. It was easy for him to slip away the next period simply telling the teacher that he didn’t feel well. No one would ever suspect Kyungsoo of lying. When he sped into the library to Baekhyun’s favorite section and noticed a few books dislodged from the shelves and drying noodles all over the ground he grew more afraid, running to check every bathroom stall and supply closet on every floor. He ran to the gym too, interrupting the class Jongin happened to be in, but Baekhyun wasn’t in the locker room there either.

He ran to the rooftop, ran to the basement, and by the time he made it to the back of the school he thought he was going to pass out from the exertion. That’s when he noticed Baekhyun’s shoe: a generic white tennis shoe that was only distinguishable by the Pokeball shoelaces he said he bought in bulk off a guy in Chinatown when he was in seventh grade. 

Hauling himself up from the ground and running over to the dumpsters, Kyungsoo went to the only one of the three that was locked. Sliding back the bar and flinging open one of the lids, he saw Baekhyun covered in the school’s garbage and clinging to one of his notebooks.

“Baekhyun! Baekhyun I’m so sorry! Grab my hand, do you need help getting out?” Baekhyun looked up at him then looked back down at the trash he was sitting in.

“Oh… Kyungsoo. Are you ok? Did they do anything to you? They said they did… or at least I think they did…” he mumbled.

“No, they just locked me in the janitorial closet for a little bit. I didn’t mean to tell them, I really didn’t. I didn’t think they’d go this far… but I’m a bit… very… claustrophobic so… I cracked. I’m sorry Baekhyun. Now stop sitting in there, you’re ruining your uniform.” The boy shrugged off Kyungsoo’s touch, looking around him with a deepening frown.

“I… I can’t get out. My books are in here somewhere. I finished all of my homework but… I couldn’t find it before. It was too dark. I just need to f-find my books. Did I miss class?” Kyungsoo hauled himself over the side of the dumpster, momentarily trying to brush some of the food that had gotten into Baekhyun’s hair before helping him search around the trash for his belongings.

“Don’t move it too much. Everything should be near the top.” Baekhyun didn’t answer him and they turned their backs to each other looking on different sides of the pile of trash.

“When… Kyungsoo, when did I become not enough?” Baekhyun whispered so quietly that Kyungsoo wasn’t really sure if he had heard correctly.

“What do you mean?”

“When did I become not enough? I used to be enough for my mom. But now when she needs me, I can hardly help. I used to be enough for Jongdae… but really, maybe I was never enough for him. I can’t… I can’t control the way I feel, but at the end of the day I’m not enough for him. I’m a perfect student, an obedient son, and sure I fuck up sometimes at being a friend but… I thought I was good enough. I always thought I was good enough but it turns out I’m not.” He laughed. “I probably deserve this, on some level, for being such an oblivious piece of shit… and now you’re in here with me.” Kyungsoo turned around, dumping what he thought were most of Baekhyun’s things into his backpack and grabbed the few things Baekhyun had gathered before pulling them both out of the dumpster and onto the ground.

“Byun Baekhyun I swear if you say anything like that again I’m going to give you an ugly haircut while you sleep.  _ No one _ deserves something like this and I’m reporting every single last one of those idiots for even thinking about messing with you, for messing with us. Now you’re going to put your shoes back on, straighten yourself up, and come back to my house with me to solve my new 10,000 piece puzzle of artwork from Aztec ruins. We’re going to skip class and not study just for today because the two of us are smarter than this entire school combined and everybody knows it.” Baekhyun hugged his backpack closer to his chest. 

“I’m not going to college.”

Kyungsoo stared at his friend. 

“What? Why?”

“We can’t afford it and my house needs two incomes right now.”

Kyungsoo sat closer to Baekhyun, taking his hand in his own. They sat in silence for a long time but Kyungsoo used the silence to come up with a plan. This time, he was going to help his friend.


	26. Act II: Chapter X

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT II: First love heals, first love hurts, and for some… first love is the only love.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Chanyeol  
> Scene II - Jongin  
> Scene III - Junmyeon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Chanyeol and Jongin waved at Hakyeon working the register in Mrs. Cha’s shop before heading up the steps past Chanyeol’s apartment and up to the rooftop. Chanyeol still held their leftover popcorn from the movie theater and gave it to the younger so he could quickly move forward to take out the blanket he’d stashed away up here earlier. He laid it over a piece of the roof that he always used as a bench even though it technically wasn’t one and gestured for Jongin to come sit.

It wasn’t the best view ever but they could see pretty far down the narrow, winding street. Jongin began munching on the popcorn slowly, offering some to Chanyeol as they gazed together. Chanyeol liked to think that Jongin thought of this place as home as much as he did and how now they sat atop their small castle in their open tower, the world spread out before them.

“Sometimes I sit up here thinking about what I’ll think of all this when I’m thirty. This time in my life, I mean,” Chanyeol said after a while.

“Why is that?”

“Because both the best and worst things that have ever happened to me have happened in the past year. But I also know that I’m still so young that the older version of me might probably think I was being stupid about some stuff. Too headstrong, maybe.” Jongin hummed beside him in understanding.

“So what is thirty year old Park Chanyeol like?”

“Thirty year old Park Chanyeol lives in Busan. Not Busan proper but… maybe a bit outside the city where it’s quieter. Good neighbors. Local produce. And he’ll live with twenty-eight year old Kim Jongin who by then would’ve gotten tired of simply watching those street performers he raved about and taken a dance class himself only to be discovered as a late blooming prodigy who performs all over the world, coming back home at the end of the day to his quiet place near Busan with the modest mechanic who somehow worked up the courage to ask him to marry him.” Jongin kicked him at that but continued to humor him anyway.

“And how did this modest mechanic ask this world class dancer to marry him?”

“On his college graduation day from the greatest university ever, of course! Sooyoung would help assuming she wasn’t too busy also being a prodigy but in theoretical physics.”

“Oh, so now it’s two prodigies and a modest mechanic, huh?” Chanyeol leaned back and took this chance to look at Jongin who was shyly keeping his eyes on his popcorn.

“Don’t worry. I’ll work hard and make plenty of money before I break off and start my own garage.”

“Have you ever even been to Busan?” Jongin mumbled.

“Nope. But I will someday. With some little swim trunks I’ll buy just for you.” Jongin kicked him again.

“Don’t be lewd,” he snapped amicably and they both got a laugh out of it.

“Ok then,” Chanyeol said. “What do you imagine?” Jongin puffed out his cheeks in thought, eating a few more pieces of popcorn while formulating his answer. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever thought too much of the future before. It has always been about… today, tomorrow, next week. Maybe next month? I don’t… I used to think I’d never even make it this far if I’m honest. I got hit a lot at the orphanage by the other kids and the caretakers. Got my head cracked open once. Spent some time in the hospital. While I was there apparently a family that had come by recently wanted to come back to see me. But they heard about the injury, were told I’d gotten into a fight. They lost interest. Though they were the only family to ever show interest in the first place so… I guess I’m grateful to them in my own way. It was only weeks after that when Taemin came along and… ” he trailed off. “I’m sorry. I’ve ruined the mood, haven’t I.” He looked up from the popcorn and Chanyeol met his eyes.

“It means a lot when you share these things with me. Don’t be sorry.” Jongin offered him a small smile.

“I’ve never been to the beach, actually,” he admitted.

“Lotte World?” Chanyeol asked.

“ _Definitely_ not Lotte World.” 

“And here I am wasting time taking you to the movies when you haven’t even lived!”

“Don’t be dramatic! I already told you I loved the date you planned. Let’s go to the beach this summer maybe. Save Lotte World for when we both have disposable income. And don’t pout either. If you do, I won’t let you put sunscreen on me in our _matching_ little swim trunks.”

“Dear Lord!” Chanyeol called from the rooftop, hands framing his mouth. “I have corrupted your most perfect child!”

“Hush now,” Jongin said with a blush, tugging on Chanyeol’s sweatshirt. “I came up with something. Thirty year old Kim Jongin will most certainly be living in Busan-”

“Near Busan!” Chanyeol interrupted with a grin. 

“ _Near_ Busan with his increasingly less modest mechanic entrepreneur, Park Chanyeol. He’ll hopefully be a halfway decent dance teacher who works with kids.” He chuckled to himself. “This is the most I’ve ever dared to imagine.”

“Should I more diligently work to make it all happen then?” Chanyeol asked, suddenly standing up and circling around. Jongin turned to follow him with his eyes just in time to witness him dropping to one knee. 

The younger screeched and tried to pull him back up but instead Chanyeol managed to pull Jongin down with him in a fit of laughter.

Later they gently undressed each other in the apartment, the neighborhood quiet around them. Chanyeol made sure to worship every part of Jongin’s body, new and old scars alike. He soothed Jongin as he pressed inside of him for the first time while simultaneously feeling he might burst at any moment. But even when they both eventually did, Jongin showed no interest in stopping and Chanyeol was determined to give him anything he wanted. The younger praised him as he did so, wiping away the occasional tear that would fall from Chanyeol’s eyes. It was happiness, Chanyeol’s happiness knowing he would give himself to no one else the way he gave himself to Jongin that night.

***

Jongin felt cold walking through the streets to Mirotic, not able to get the sad look on Chanyeol’s face out of his mind. He had begged him not to go, pleaded for him to stay with him and have a second breakfast, even tried to reason to Jongin that because Junmyeon was their friend, Jongin had no reason to go back there. Only after assuring him that he’d only be in the club for twenty minutes at most, Chanyeol agreed to let him go only if the elder was allowed to ride with him on the bus on the way there.

But now Chanyeol was waiting on a street corner by a food truck near the bus stop that was actually one stop away from where Jongin usually got off. He didn’t want Chanyeol to be right in the middle of this neighborhood even in the daytime. Chanyeol was appealing for many reasons: he was tall, strong, and young, traits many businesses around Mirotic sought after. Jongin promised to text every ten minutes.

He zipped the lightweight black jacket he borrowed from Chanyeol all the way up to his chin in an attempt to hide the marks his boyfriend had left the night before. Chanyeol seemed proud about it and said now strangers would keep their eyes off of him whenever he fell asleep in the fried chicken restaurant. Jongin said that he hadn’t noticed but also blushed at the memory, how good Chanyeol had made him feel even if now he was hoping he wasn’t walking funny. The faintest hint of a drizzle had started and he wrapped the jacket around him tighter.

He was here first and foremost to collect his pay from before his injuries. But these payment meetings were also the only time and place Jongin could think of where Taemin would definitely be present at Mirotic. Going through the back entrance, Jongin automatically noticed the lack of enthusiastic greeting from Heechul. No one was at the bar though Xiah had mentioned that they were close to finding a permanent replacement. Until then, the VIP bar would stay closed. Jongin saw Taemin squished between Minho and Yonghwa at a table that was otherwise empty, pointy cheekbones showing themselves beneath his pale skin.

“Kai, never see you around much anymore,” Minho said. “I guess you really are more fragile than you look.”

“I heard about what happened out there with Xiah,” Yonghwa added on. “You’re lucky you got to see some real action at least.” Jongin’s stomach lurched.

Taemin’s head was leaning against Minho’s chest, blank expression covering his face. He didn’t seem to notice Jongin had arrived. The two older boys talked for some time ignoring the both of them.

“Taemin, can we talk for a minute?”

All three boys looked at him now. A lot of people were still yet to arrive and Jongin was eager to clear the air between them and figure out just what Taemin had gotten himself into. To his surprise, Taemin stood up without arguing even though he looked a bit unsteady on his feet. He smirked back at Minho who caught him by the waist, giggling as he was then openly groped. 

The two of them walked a little bit away and Taemin stood with his arms crossed and eyebrow quirked, looking at the small cast still on his wrist poking out from beneath his jacket. 

“Here to lecture me?” Taemin said, his words slurring off his tongue even though his eyes were deceptively sharp. 

“Tell me you weren’t the one using it. Tell me it was just Minho,” Jongin said just above a whisper but found his disappointment growing as Taemin looked on now more in amusement.

“Minho isn’t at the bottom of the totem pole anymore.” Jongin could see the others still looking at them from their table, some of the older members of Phantom now coming over to speak to them as well. “He helps deal now. Comes with perks. I work for him.”

“And what about your job in the park? What about the plan we came up with?”

Taemin took two slow steps towards him and clicked his tongue, bending forward even more until Jongin could feel his breath on his face as he grabbed him by the shoulder.

“You can’t get everything you want in this world. But you still don’t get that, do you? You forget that if it weren’t for me, you would still be stuck in that cultish shithole they called an orphanage. _I’m_ the one who got us out of there. _I’m_ the one who got us food. _I’m_ the one who knew where we could sleep at night. _I’m_ the one who got us into Phantom and all the protections that came with it. Yet you get one good dicking and you think you’re different? Someone thinks you have a pretty face and you can just run off with him happily ever after even though he’s not one of us?” Jongin shoved Taemin away and his friend laughed in his face.

“You know this was never the plan, Taemin! We… we just needed this to live, to find something honest. You always said we’d never be stuck somewhere bad ever again.”

“Fairy tales,” Taemin dismissed easily. “The only thing that would ever get you to shut up about morals who only apply to people who think you’re scum anyway. Because you’d always ask questions at the most inconvenient times instead of just doing what I told you to do.” Jongin shook his head.

“You don’t mean that. You’re just going back on your word and making excuses.”

“Am I? Well let me fill you in on something. People around here talk. They know you borrowed an insane amount of money, they know you somehow landed a position being an errand boy for the boss, and they know you somehow got up the ranks enough to work with Xiah. Word on the street is Youngmin’s already fucking you but I know better… or at least I _think_ I do. On top of that, it’s not like you come around here anymore if it’s not to get your money which is just as dirty as mine. You might think you’re so righteous and above me but I say you’re a selfish asshole who’s flying awfully close to the sun after losing touch with the reality of _our_ situation,” Taemin said.

“No. You’re high and you’re letting Minho destroy you. Why him of all people? I always thought we were brothers. Family.” For a split second Jongin thought he had gotten through to him, seeing a glimmer of softness in his eyes but it quickly vanished. 

“What the fuck would _you_ know about family? Well let me drop some knowledge for you. I had a real brother once and he sure as shit wasn’t you. You’re just a parasite,” Taemin said, not looking at Jongin directly and instead at the growing crowd of people. 

“What are you trying to protect me from?” Jongin almost pleaded. 

“Fall back in line while you still can, Kai.”

Before Jongin could respond, Taemin was already heading back to his table with a widely grinning Minho, Yonghwa trailing his eyes up and down Taemin’s form as he walked. Jinki had just arrived with the earnings starting distribution on the opposite end of the room. 

“Did my doll have a nice chat?” Minho said into Taemin’s ear but loud enough for everyone to hear. 

“Sure did,” Taemin responded lazily, resting his head back on Minho’s chest like before.

“Why are you doing this, Minho?” Jongin asked. His heart was starting to race. He wanted Chanyeol with him. Chanyeol would know what to say.

“What does it look like? I’m giving your street rat friend a chance to be someone who matters… and rewarding him with my cock when he does well.”

“You will not speak about him like that!” Jongin yelled, this time attracting attention from many around them. “You’re a filthy piece of shit and I’ve always known it!” Yonghwa stood up to block his path to the table when Jongin moved forward. He looked back over at Taemin but his friend continued to ignore his presence. 

“I’d think real hard about what you do next, Kai. You’re not the only one with friends in high places now.” 

At Jongin’s continued silence, the other members of Phantom soon resumed their conversations when they realized a fight wasn’t going to happen. Jongin could only watch as Taemin was dragged back into whatever little world Minho was keeping him in. 

“Taemin…” he called out again, cursing the heat building up in his eyes as he did so. But this time Yonghwa blocked him fully.

“I think your business is done with us today, Kai." 

Jongin’s phone buzzed in his back pocket. He’d forgotten to text Chanyeol.

***

Junmyeon held onto the side of the car as Youngwoon sped through the streets. The old, unmarked police vehicle fit right in on Phantom’s territory in broad daylight. The odds of running into Jongin around here were probably slim but Youngwoon had old intel that Phantom only met in big groups during the day that even people of Jongin’s probable rank were invited to.

Leaving the car at the side of the road, Youngwoon stepped out with Junmyeon only a few steps behind kicking aside beer bottles from the previous night’s festivities, giving the occasional small nod to ladies and men walking unashamedly out of side doors with the bare minimum amount of clothing on to smoke, hair tousled.

They were walking around desolate streets for close to an hour, Youngwoon growing irritated, until he paused. They were quite a few blocks away from Mirotic but there crouched in an alleyway was a boy with fluffy black hair, someone whose face by now Youngwoon was very acquainted with.

“Kim Jongin?” Youngwoon called out. The boy looked up, face looking like he was upset about something. Youngwoon reached for the flap of his jacket showing his badge. “My name is Kim Youngwoon from the Seoul National Police. I understand you and my partner have been… chatting.” Junmyeon already shot up to a high level of alertness when Jongin’s eyes widened, rising from his spot on the ground. His eyes darted from Junmyeon to Youngwoon to the badge.

“Calm down Jongin,” Junmyeon said, trying to ease the developing situation. “We just want to talk to you again, like normal, but down at the station. It’s safe there.” Jongin shook his head back and forth, taking a few sharp steps back.

“No… Officer Kim, why does he know? How does he know? I can’t go there. They’ll… they’ll see. They probably see you now…” Junmyeon started to get nervous when Jongin started looking in different directions.

“It’s ok Jongin. He’s on your side… _our_ side. We just need you to come in and answer some questions officially to get the case moving along. We can give you all the protection you need.” When Junmyeon stopped his approach, Youngwoon kept moving forward, eyes trained right on Jongin.

“Come on, kid. Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

“Don’t run…” Junmyeon whispered under his breath. Jongin was no longer looking at him. “Please… _please_ don’t run Jongin…” But the second Youngwoon’s hand left his badge and reached for his belt, Jongin turned on his heel and bolted, sprinting through the network of alleyways.

“THAT FUCKER!” Youngwoon shouted before running after him. Junmyeon looked around, choosing to go to the next block over to try to catch them.

From the main road Junmyeon could faintly hear Youngwoon shouting, and when he turned a corner he was suddenly pushed to the ground as Jongin ran past him, Youngwoon following along not two seconds later.

“Get him,” Youngwoon ordered, panting. “I’m going this way.” 

Knowing that now was not the time to argue, Junmyeon sprinted in the direction he had seen Jongin go. It went into yet another network of alleyways where the boy had knocked over crates and bags of trash as he went to try to slow Junmyeon down.

Skidding around a corner that led back to one of the main roads, Junmyeon looked up just in time to see Youngwoon appear at the entrance, lunging forward to grab Jongin, slamming him into the brick wall once then twice before forcing him onto the ground.

“Youngwoon!” he shouted, walking closer. “Youngwoon, stop, you’re scaring him.” He received no answer but Jongin was on the verge of hyperventilating, eyes turning red with tears, blood coming from where his forehead had bounced off the wall.

“Let me go… I… I d-didn’t d-do anything I swear!”

“You shouldn’t have tried to run, kid,” Youngwoon grumbled, slapping handcuffs over one wrist, hesitating when he saw the cast still on Jongin’s other one before securing it anyway. “Now this whole thing looks like a bigger deal than it is. We just want to have a little chat.” Youngwoon flipped him over, causing Jongin to wince as his wrists dug awkwardly into the asphalt. Youngwoon started to pat him down, unzipping the boy’s jacket to pull out an envelope.

“See Junmyeon?” he said, pulling out an envelope filled with money. “Can’t trust anybody, not even the kids you tried to rehab in juvie. They don’t change. Where did you get this money, huh?” Youngwoon growled, waving the envelope in Jongin’s face.

“I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING!” Jongin shouted, apparently spitting into Youngwoon’s face. He looked furious, dragging Jongin up by his jersey.

“Youngwoon… just get him to the car. All of this is unnecessary. You’ve already restrained him, let's go. Don’t let anyone we walk by see the cuffs.” Youngwoon looked into Jongin’s eyes for a few moments.

“Goddamn rookies… goddamn punks…” he mumbled, pushing Jongin forward. “Walk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OTHER STORIES BY UNUSUAL_TABLE
> 
> [Two Minutes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24045196/chapters/57859369): Jongin was born just two minutes after Kai. It took him a long time to realize he didn’t need to spend the rest of his life trying to catch up. [TWINS!AU - CHANKAI, SEKAI]
> 
> [Bound by Silver](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23604130/chapters/56642974): Master had three simple rules for Wolf to follow. The first was to never go beyond the fence. The second was to never speak to lodgers. The third was to never respond to the howl of the Mountain Spirits that could be heard on nights of the full moon. [WOFL!AU - SEKAI, BAEKYEOL, LAYHAN]
> 
> [Ghost Light](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24366250/chapters/58764295): After Junmyeon’s life falls apart, he retreats to his family’s small home near Daegu. Sequestered in his little house on the hill, he soon finds himself acquainted with an odd mailman named Zhang Yixing. [THEATRE!AU - SULAY]


	27. Act II: Chapter XI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT II: First love heals, first love hurts, and for some… first love is the only love.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Junmyeon  
> Scene II - Chanyeol  
> Scene III - Junmyeon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Junmyeon followed Youngwoon down the long hallway, the elder exchanging pleasantries with others as they made their way to their assigned questioning room. Youngwoon seemed content to ignore all of Junmyeon’s objections to all that was happening.

“None of this is necessary,” Junmyeon insisted once again.

“And as I told you, it’s a scare tactic. I’m doing this for the good of all three of us. Trust me.” Youngwoon shot him one last look, pausing at the door before they entered.

Jongin had been formally processed, his clothes and belongings taken from him in favor of a standard issue inmate’s uniform. He sat with his wrists secured to the table, head hanging low. It was almost a spitting image of what he first looked like when he was taken off the street. 

Youngwoon sat down across from him and Junmyeon stood back against the wall.

“Kim Jongin, Makhwa Orphanage runaway, Sungji High School first year, affiliated with the criminal organization that calls itself Phantom. Do you deny any of this?” Junmyeon didn’t need to look at Youngwoon’s face to know the man was scowling as Jongin stayed silent. 

“Since you’ve been through this process before, I did not think I needed to remind you of your rights. I could get you a lawyer but it would take a while for one to get down here and… let’s just say I’ve picked your kind up before and the second word got out they spoke to me it never ended well for them.”

Junmyeon watched Jongin’s fingers tense.

“I didn’t do anything,” the boy said. “I told Officer Kim all I know.”

“An accessory to murder sure doesn’t sound like nothing. Or you could walk out of here with a fine for public urination. That all depends on you.” 

Jongin sniffled and when he finally looked up, Junmyeon felt his own guilt multiply. It was the face of a frightened child. Youngwoon had lots of friends in the police force, friends who had probably treated Jongin in a way that made him think he was facing only his worst case scenarios: be killed on the outside or spend the rest of his life on the inside. 

“You have no proof.” 

“Proof? I have _my_ word, _my_ investigation, and _my_ reputation… against you.” Youngwoon leaned back and shot Junmyeon a smirk as Jongin wilted where he sat. “Are you ready to answer my questions?”

“You can’t… you can’t do this to me.”

“According to your school,” Youngwoon continued anyway, ignoring Jongin, “your legal guardian is a man named Jung Yunho. Tell me how you met Yunho.” 

“We were introduced through a friend,” Jongin said after a few moments. 

“How acquainted were you with his father, Jung Jaehwa?”

“Never met him.” Youngwoon nodded, opening one of the files he brought in with him for the first time. 

“Jung Yunho does a large amount of charity work and can be seen at most community functions. His mother was both a teacher and a tennis coach but she died in 1998. Car bomb. It was the beginning of the deadliest underworld criminal activity Seoul had ever seen. Her husband’s body parts were sent to a number of significant people including but not limited to the police commissioner’s mailbox some months ago but Yunho has remained mostly silent about the issue.”

Youngwoon dropped the closed file on his desk and Jongin flinched at the sound.

“What does any of this have to do with me?”

“What were you doing way out in the woods at the scene of a _slaughter_?” Jongin tightened his knees together.

“I saw what I saw. Junmyeon already knows.”

“Jung Yunho’s father worked very closely with a man named Lee Sooman. He has been arrested several times for everything ranging from human trafficking to drug smuggling to murder. His son becomes your guardian and just a few months later you’re at the scene of a major crime. You will tell me what your business was there.”

“You honestly believe I’m a murderer? I’m sixteen. I’m trying to do the right thing. I’ve never even held a gun before I… I don’t hurt people. I told Junmyeon about the dragon flag! I helped you!”

“Oh?” Youngwoon said, voice dragging. “You told my partner about the body of Kim Heechul, brutally tortured and maimed… but not with a _gun_ . The other bodies, all from one of Phantom’s rival gangs well… _that’s_ a different story, one you were most definitely never told.” 

Junmyeon looked away the moment he saw tears begin to roll down Jongin’s face, Youngwoon’s theory playing out just the way he thought it would. He didn’t want to believe it. The man cleared his throat. 

“Junmyeon. Give us some privacy.”

***

Chanyeol had been sitting in the police station all day and hadn’t caught a single glimpse of Junmyeon. But that was probably for the best. His anger had only cooled into a stabbing betrayal as day turned into night. The officer had called him, told him where Jongin was, and why he had been brought there. Once at the station, the woman he’d spoken to said Jongin had been brought in for public urination which would be classified as a misdemeanor. Chanyeol knew this to be untrue. Nonetheless, Jongin was currently unavailable under what she called _police discretion_. Before Joonmyeon had called, Chanyeol had been on his way to Mirotic to look for Jongin himself. In hindsight, that would’ve been the dumbest thing for him to do.

It was early evening before Jongin limped from the back, Chanyeol’s jacket draped over his head and shoulders. When he got closer he took Jongin’s shivering form into his embrace, smoothing back his hair, fingers gliding over ugly forming bruises and dried blood on his face. Junmyeon trailed after him and one look at the man told him all he needed to know. 

“I’m truly very sorry, Chanyeol,” Junmyeon said, voice tense but steady. “But this was important for the case, important for protecting other innocent people from harm. I made arrangements for Jongin to go free for now. I’ll figure out a way to get him protections. I promise.” 

Chanyeol grew hot with anger anew. There were a lot of things he could say to this man, many things that had run through his mind as the hours had ticked by. But he chose to say nothing. What good would it do? The officer already knew in his heart that everything that had happened today was wrong. There was nothing more to say.

Not wanting to make the long trek home without checking Jongin more thoroughly, Chanyeol brought him into a single bathroom at a nearby smoke shop, urging Jongin to sit up on the counter. He asked if anything hurt, asked him what happened at Mirotic, asked him what happened at the station, asked him what happened before he got to the station, but stopped when the familiar look of panic was rising in Jongin’s face and realized his mistake in asking.

“Take me home,” was all he said.

They didn’t exchange a single word on the bus ride back and Jongin wasn’t responding at all to Chanyeol’s soft touches, smaller hand unmoving in his larger one, eyes looking forward hardly blinking. Jongin tore away from his grip the moment they entered the younger’s apartment. He looked frantically around the living area before running into the bedroom. By the time Chanyeol looked inside after him, Jongin was breathing heavily, crying, shaking on the floor.

Nothing he did could stop the spasms or the sobs or the grabbing or the punching except for time. It was during this time that Chanyeol noticed all of Taemin’s and Minho’s belongings were gone.

“Hyung… I’m gonna die… they’re gonna find out. Taemin… they’re killing him and I didn’t even know. He doesn’t even know…”

“Jonginnie, no one is going to die. No one is going to get you, or Taemin, or me. Everything is going to be fine.”

“The police… they know so much now… they got it from me. They said… they said I could get locked away for a long time. _Decades_ , hyung. I didn’t do anything. I didn’t hurt anyone. But if Phantom finds out I… the police can’t protect me. They say they can, but I know they can’t. Xiah already knows I was there. I’m already dead. I don’t… I don’t wanna die, hyung!”

Jongin exhausted himself to sleep, waking up throughout the night from nightmares that, according to Jongin’s unclear shouts and mumblings, had come back in far greater detail than before. Chanyeol packed the remainder of Jongin’s things, in the morning leaving the apartment a hollow shell of what it used to be. 

Chanyeol spent all of Sunday trying to piece Jongin back together and Monday and Tuesday. The more hours that passed without any contact from Phantom or the police the more Jongin relaxed but at the end of it all Jongin wasn’t the same. To avoid suspicion they decided to play things as normally as possible but certain things did change. Jongin wouldn’t stay for evening lessons by himself so he sat in the restaurant waiting for Chanyeol. His grades dropped lower than they had ever been before. In his worry, Chanyeol’s followed. 

The two found themselves in a state of limbo, clinging to each other even though Chanyeol still didn’t quite understand. Jongin wouldn’t tell him. As time ticked by, Jongin spoke less and less but his kisses were more rushed, touches more desperate, actions more daring. They confessed their love over and over in the darkness of the park wrapped in sweaters and scarfs and under the shower spray. Chanyeol was lost in Jongin, hopelessly lost, but something at the core of their love felt so sad without Chanyeol knowing why. So little by little he began putting together a plan. They would need to leave all of this behind. In the core of their love, sadness would be replaced with hope.

***

Junmyeon stumbled into his apartment on a night in early November, the stench of alcohol rolling off of him in waves. He didn’t know how he could hate a job so much at such a young age that he hadn’t even had for that long but the truth of his dreams was hard to take. With the image of Chanyeol’s furious eyes and Jongin’s hidden face burned into his mind seemingly forever, he went on to tackle many more cases with Youngwoon as undercover ops moved in on Phantom. Too many times the evidence had been twisted, too many times lives were ruined, too many times people were all too happy to hear the expected result instead of the correct one. But tonight Junmyeon had killed for the first time. 

A standoff in a shipping yard. The import had been people. Phantom’s fingerprints were all over it. Youngwoon and Junmyeon had a growing quiet but understanding relationship. The more Junmyeon accepted what was put in front of him, the better off he would be. Tonight Youngwoon wouldn’t let Junmyeon go home without stopping by a small pub. The numbing taste on his tongue and the dryness of his throat made his soul feel like it was a little bit less split in half but Youngwoon told him it would all return in the morning. Youngwoon told him he’d just have to keep on going because that’s what was expected of them.

At headquarters, the investigation of Phantom had grown into a reevaluation of Seoul’s underground as a whole. Someone higher up was getting serious about the problems groups like Phantom and Sapphire had been causing even though since the incident in the woods the groups hadn’t done anything as flashy as they’d been doing earlier in the year. It had been a long time since Junmyeon had handled it personally choosing to bury the memory of what was supposed to be his big break as a real officer deep within him somewhere in the shadow of his sixth daily coffee - in plain sight but easily ignored. They were locking people up though, busting small operations. That’s all that mattered. Protections for Jongin were constantly vetoed. He was ultimately considered too low of an influence. In other words, it did not matter if he lived or died. Letting him walk free was Youngwoon’s one mercy. 

He thought he perhaps had too much to drink when he saw the glint under his apartment door. He thought perhaps he was dreaming at the sight of a small black card, its silver dragon print reviving his mind of a long abandoned theory. The invitation was a personal one to the Annual Business Gala at the Twins Hotel. Written in red pen at the bottom read: 

_“For showing special interest. - Y.X. Zhang”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're in the home stretch of Act II, kiddos!


	28. Act II: Chapter XII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT II: First love heals, first love hurts, and for some… first love is the only love.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Kyungsoo  
> Scene II - Jongdae  
> Scene III - Chanyeol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Kyungsoo stood with his yellow umbrella in the rain just outside of the school gates. Baekhyun was already inside since they came together but he could spot Chanyeol and Jongin walking up the sidewalk attached at the hip. For some reason speaking to the couple was more intimidating to Kyungsoo than the prospect of getting Baekhyun and Jongdae together in the same room. Rumors had spread about them full force around the school after summer break ended but neither ever said anything to defend themselves. Chanyeol would only ever smile now when he was with Jongin. 

Chanyeol spotted Kyungsoo first giving a small wave that seemed to jolt Jongin out of whatever morning daze he was in. The freshman’s eyes pierced through him like ice before his eyes wandered back to the ground.

“Kyungsoo. I don’t often see you here this early.”

“I’m usually not this early. I… I’m the one who got Baekhyun to text you a few days ago… about today. I wasn’t sure if you were coming or not.” Chanyeol gave a papery smile and shrugged.

“I didn’t know you’d be here at all but… no problem. I haven’t seen Baekhyun in a while… oddly enough.” Kyungsoo sent them off in the direction of the gym. As expected, Jongdae showed up quite some later not bothered by the autumn rain that fell down on him between the gate and the gym building. He put an arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulder in a friendly yet lazy greeting. 

“Does Baekhyun know I’m coming?”

“I’m sure he’s figured it out by now.”

“Right… of course.”

The scene awaiting the two in the gym was a bit awkward. Baekhyun and Chanyeol were having a conversation with each other while Jongin stared off into the distance. It didn’t look like he’d gotten proper sleep in a long time. There had been rumors that he’d gotten involved in a major street brawl and that he’d be getting held back a year. Jongdae walked towards Baekhyun but paused in his advance, sitting a further distance away instead. Kyungsoo cleared his throat.

“Thanks for coming today, everyone. I’m sure you’re all wondering why I did this. Half of you don’t really know me that well at all,” he said, noticing Chanyeol and Jongin finally look at him. “I’m Do Kyungsoo, the class president of Sungji’s senior class. Byun Baekhyun over there is the first classmate I ever brought home for my parents to meet. He’s also the first friend I’ve ever had… but I know he had other friends before me… friends he really treasures a lot.” Baekhyun looked up at him and smiled.

“I know a lot has been going on with all of you over the past several months and I also know that I probably don’t even know the half of it. Nevertheless as a leader of the student body and as someone who just wants to help out as much as he can I just wanted to say that the three of you: Baekhyun, Jongdae, Chanyeol… you’re really good for each other. I’ve been in the same school in the same year as you since the beginning and I never thought in my wildest dreams that I’d be able to befriend even one of you. It’s been really sad to see you drift apart.” It didn’t look like Jongin was paying attention anymore.

“But now we’re seniors. This is supposed to be our year. Look what we’ve done to ourselves, done to each other. Is this what growing up means? I know that things have happened recently that perhaps made us grow up a little faster than we wanted to but… these years in high school are supposed to be some of the best, right? I wish I could be like you all. I want to start again and say I’ve had friends that I’ve known since before I could walk, secrets I’ve kept since the moment I learned to talk. I want to have hiding places that only my friends know about where we stash collections of action figures and I want to celebrate good grades and party until I forget about the bad ones.” Kyungsoo sighed trying to figure out what to do with his hands. He didn’t really know what he was trying to accomplish doing all of this. It probably wouldn’t have even worked if he wasn’t the class president to begin with. 

“Our college entrance exams are less than a month away. Baekhyun, you’re going to do perfectly. You’re going to get those scholarships we’ve been working on together and even if you need to defer a year, Yonsei will be begging you to become their student. Jongdae, you’ll completely own this test. You’re ready for this, I’ve seen you practicing even though you pretend you don’t care. Chanyeol, I know you’re not going to college so you can work enough to help pay for your sister’s education… but even so, you’re set to do great things. Jongin, when you’re a senior please don’t make the mistakes we have. We’re going to get through this and… and at the end of it all I’d love to call you all my friends.”

Jongin stood up quietly, backpack hanging loosely from his arm.

“I’ll meet you outside, hyung,” he said, voice sounding about as exhausted as he looked. The tall senior took one passing look at the rest of them, bowing in apology to Kyungsoo.

“Those were very kind words. Thank you.”

Chanyeol ran after Jongin out into the rain leaving the three other boys behind without looking back.

***

Jongdae watched Baekhyun’s dark hair sway in the breeze. His skin glowed white against his bright red scarf and he was so, so close to him it made everything else around them disappear. Ever since the morning in the gym the two of them had been trying,  _ trying  _ to get back to what they used to be and even if Jongdae didn’t quite like it, it meant the world to him to see Baekhyun look at least a little bit happy. He knew there were things going on in his friend’s life that he wasn’t being told about. But he would wait for Baekhyun to trust him again. 

The two of them would sit together in the cafeteria with Kyungsoo at their usual table. They would joke more, not always talking about studying even though the big test was so near. Even this morning Baekhyun chuckled every now and then with the most important exam of their life just an hour away.

Everything about this day was what Jongdae expected it would be except for the absence of Chanyeol. Their tall friend didn’t even seem to be amongst the crowd of cheering students and family outside of the gates where his megawatt smile would’ve been shining atop all the rest. He would have to make more of an effort to reconnect with Chanyeol after all of this was over. But just like Kyungsoo looked out for Baekhyun, at least Chanyeol had Jongin… whatever that was worth.

“Why are you looking at me like that? If you haven’t memorized this stuff already you’re going to have to start praying to every deity you know right about… lets say… now.” Jongdae crossed his arms.

“Of course I know it! I might even get a higher score than you so watch yourself.”

“And we’ll go to Yonsei together and be roommates?” Jongdae cringed.

“Don’t get too far ahead of yourself.” The two of them got up from the bench, Baekhyun linking arms with him as they made their way across the field, cheeks rosy from the wind.

“Everything will be fine,” Baekhyun said half to himself. “I’ve been worrying about this day for… well… forever, but now that it’s here it almost seems so silly. There are so many important things in life. It’s a bit cruel so much hinges on one test.”

“Finally we see eye to eye on something.”

“Of course. We’re the same height.”

Inside, the halls were lined with other panicking seniors, Kyungsoo one of the ones amongst it all trying to get things organized. In their recent early morning study sessions Kyungsoo had barely read a word having memorized everything months ago. Instead he spent most of his time helping Baekhyun find more scholarship applications, drafting emails and letters ready to send to various faculty members at Yonsei detailing Baekhyun’s story.

“I’ll see you after the test, right? You’re driving me home?” Baekhyun asked. And now he was too close because the hallway was too loud and his voice was oddly a lot softer than it usually was. 

“I… yeah, I’ll take you home. Does Kyungsoo need a lift too?” Baekhyun shook his head.

“Nope. He’s got tons of official president stuff to do today. Maybe we can play some board games like old times? My mom is taking up an extra shift tonight so as long as it’s quiet by the time she gets back all should be fine.” And now maybe Jongdae was imagining it because he wanted it to be there, the mischievous glint Baekhyun’s eyes sometimes had, the strength of his grip around Jongdae’s arm, the quick swipe of a tongue across his lower lip.

Maybe even with all the horrible things Jongdae had let happen to his friend, things would work out after all. Maybe Baekhyun would give him a chance if Jongdae just gave him a little push. Maybe, somehow, Baekhyun’s feelings had grown for him too. 

***

Chanyeol had never been more relieved. Everything was set. Their few bags were packed and the next day they would be moving with Sooyoung to Daejeon. Their father was doing better now, he had gotten his life together. The minimal contact Jongin had with Xiah was enough to convince him that now was the best time to try to run away from Phantom. Jongin was even convinced that Xiah had been protecting him in his own way.

“Do you think your dad will like me?”

“Sooyoung has already sent him plenty of pictures. He’s actually wanted to meet you for a while. I don’t think he recognizes you from… that time… but we’ll have to tell him eventually, Jonginnie.” Jongin sat straddling Chanyeol’s lap on a cushion by the window swinging back and forth to a cheesy pop tune on the radio.

“I don’t care. Let him know everything as long as we get to leave Seoul and never come back.”

“Jongin oppa, I love you but please try not to defile my brother while I’m in the apartment,” Sooyoung singsonged from over by the mini fridge, staring in awe at the amount of chocolate milk that had suddenly appeared. 

“Soo, stop pretending you don’t already ship Jongin with all of your favorite idols instead of with me.” Jongin blushed, tucking his head further between Chanyeol’s neck and shoulder as the elder rubbed his back. “I’m going to show dad all of your fan fiction accounts and he’ll send you off to become a nun.”

The three of them eventually settled down in the middle of the floor with a deck of cards. Jongin never realized how much he didn’t know about Sooyoung. She was smart, clever, and had all of the general charms that Chanyeol had. Even with the stress she’d been through with the debt and Chanyeol trying to keep Jongin out of danger, she always seemed to be a ray of sunshine.

“Dad says I could probably skip a grade when I transfer to a school in Daejeon,” she said proudly. “Then I can be in the same class as Jongin oppa and make sure he stays out of trouble.”

“If you keep flirting with my boyfriend we’re leaving you at the bus stop.”

“Park Chanyeol, stop threatening your sister! She’s just joking.”

“But you haven’t read her original work, Jonginnie. She’s dangerous.”

“Honestly I’m trying to figure out why you’ve read so much of it,  _ hyung _ .” Now it was Chanyeol’s turn to be embarrassed, much to the delight of the two younger teens.

“I’m just really jealous of you two,” Sooyoung said eventually. “Maybe someday someone will love me as much as you two love each other. It’s like a fairytale but I’m just a background character.” Jongin hummed to himself slightly tugging one of Sooyoung’s braids. 

“Everything will work out the way it’s supposed to, even if sometimes you have to leave some things behind.” 

Chanyeol nodded with a sigh no doubt thinking about Baekhyun and Jongdae who should be finishing up their college entrance exams right about now, but his arm wrapped around Jongin’s waist before the younger could think too much about Taemin. They needed this. The two of them needed this and now, however sudden, seemed like their best chance. Xiah said that the higher levels of Phantom were having issues so serious that they wouldn’t have time to think about small players like Jongin and that the scare tactics gangs usually used to keep young kids running with them were only partially true. If Jongin left town and settled with another family with adults that had nothing to do with Seoul’s underground, maybe Phantom wouldn’t give him a second thought.

When they all settled down for their final night above Mrs. Cha’s shop, Jongin’s phone lay above the mini fridge, unplugged and forgotten as he settled into Chanyeol’s arms. It buzzed one final time before shutting down.

**From: Unknown**

**To: Jongin**

**_Don’t respond. Xiah is gone. They’re looking for you. - T_ **


	29. Act II: Chapter XIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT II: First love heals, first love hurts, and for some… first love is the only love.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Junmyeon  
> Scene II - Baekhyun  
> Scene III - Chanyeol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Junmyeon hastily made his way through the rows of desks balancing a sandwich in one hand and coffee in the other but inwardly groaned when he saw Youngwoon sitting in his chair, at his desk, with his feet on the table.

“What is it now?” he practically snapped. It was Saturday. Somewhere along the way Junmyeon found himself working Saturdays on the regular. Sometimes he’d just come in to not be in his apartment because whoever lived above him was having a mold problem that was quickly becoming  _ his _ mold problem. But today he was here because he really did have things to do. He needed to make as much use of his resources while he still could. But he felt all of his plans crashing down around him when Youngwoon turned to face him holding a familiar small black card.

“You know what, Junmyeon? I always thought you were an idiot but now I  _ know _ you’re an idiot,” he said, flinging the card with the silver dragon to land at Junmyeon’s feet. “Just incase they missed this little lesson in the Academy, you don’t go to fancy parties especially when you’re invited by an unknown member of a foreign crime syndicate that somehow knows you were investigating them at one point or another even after I told you to scrap that damn dragon theory,” he said, the amount of worry somewhat balancing his usual level of pissed-off-and-done-for-today. Junmyeon walked around to the other side of his desk to put down his late lunch.

“What do you expect me to do? The two of us have had a pretty good record these past few months but this Phantom thing has gone almost nowhere. Just small busts, small arrests, and almost everyone has gotten out on bail. Now the whole case file is just gathering dust and  _ no one _ here cares. _ Someone _ is making this easy.  _ Too  _ easy. This is how gang violence continues. We choose to ignore it. Politics should have nothing to do with justice.” Youngwoon sighed.

“We’re off this case, Joon, end of story. I already gave you your favor letting that kid go. We’re homicide. If gangs aren’t littering the streets with bodies then it’s none of our business. This Zhang guy is fucking with you at best. The fact that they know who you are, what you do, and where you live is bad enough. You need to stop parading around trying to be a goddamn hero.” Junmyeon bit his lip looking around the nearly empty office space. 

“I’m… I’m handing in my resignation… at the end of today. So don’t worry. By the time I get to this party I won’t be your problem. I won’t be your partner. You have no reason to be concerned.” Youngwoon stared at him in shock, standing up to lean on Junmyeonn’s desk covering his hands with his face like he usually did when his partner was telling him something he didn’t want to hear.

“You must have a pretty negative opinion of me… to think I’d let a rookie like you do something this stupid alone.”

***

It was over. The exam Baekhyun had been preparing for his entire life was over. He waved goodbye to Kyungsoo who slid out from the back seat of Jongdae’s car to head into his house. His family was no doubt already dressed up in preparation to take him out on the town to celebrate. Nothing could make Kyungsoo happier than a well made plate of pasta. 

Baekhyun stretched his arms over his head and yawned as Jongdae then pulled away from the curb. Baekhyun was filled with a pleasant feeling, a hopeful one. He would need to call Chanyeol later. Maybe the three of them could hangout just like old times for one afternoon. In another few months he could hopefully quit his delivery job at the restaurant but he quickly pushed that place out of his mind. 

This year Baekhyun had realized just how important having friends was and just how easily they could slip away. He still avoided the topic of love and romance with Jongdae just to make their friendship return back to normal more quickly but he did attempt to be nicer about it. Instead of completely rejecting Jongdae’s presence, Baekhyun would sit a little closer and of course the occasional dirty joke would be met with laughter but Baekhyun knew that in college or wherever Jongdae ended up, he would find someone right for him no matter how much it hurt his friend right now.

“Do you want to stay over for a bit?” Baekhyun asked. “My mom is at work and I have the night off.” He said it while continuing to stare out the car window, missing Jongdae’s conflicted expression but there was only happiness in his friend’s voice when he responded.

“Sure. I’d love to.”

Baekhyun objected when Jongdae decided to make a stop at the store to pick up beer, instant ramen, and snacks, but Jongdae insisted that it was his treat. 

It was strange having Jongdae in his home again. Even before his mother started taking clients at the house, it was rare for Baekhyun to have any of his friends over. The neighborhood wasn’t the best, there wasn’t a lot of room inside to do things, and there was never enough in the fridge to feed a bunch of teenage boys who weren’t privy to his mother’s meticulous budgeting. 

Jongdae got to work right away setting up everything they’d bought on the coffee table while Baekhyun fetched utensils and napkins. He frowned at an extinguished cigarette by the sink. His mother must’ve had someone over during his exam after all. 

“Are you alright?” Baekhyun jumped when he realized Jongdae was standing just behind him. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said, grabbing the cigarette and throwing it into the bin. Instead of pressing further, Jongdae handed him a beer once he finally settled down on the couch, the radio playing nostalgic tunes from over in the kitchen area. It brought about memories of the past that ended up directing their conversation.

Baekhyun found himself getting more relaxed. The alcohol probably helped. He leaned back into the cushions and stared at the ceiling as Jongdae brought up one of his most embarrassing moments from middle school that came about as a result of his two friends messing with him.

“All this reminds me of the time you broke into my house to force me to study from your flashcards. I swear from that point on my mom had more faith in you than any of our teachers,” Jongdae said with a grin, running his hand through his hair. 

“Yeah… feels like ancient history.”

By now beer bottles and popcorn scattered across the coffee table and trot music was blasting on the radio. Baekhyun puffed out his cheeks, laughing a bit at the angle Jongdae’s face was in. He didn’t recall falling onto his friend’s lap, but Jongdae felt comfortable enough for him to stay there even if the view made him look like a giant blob monster.

“I wish you could stay with me, Baekkie,” Jongdae pouted, making his blob face look even bigger from Baekhyun’s point of view. “But I know you’ll do great things even no matter where or if you ever go to college. You’re too smart not to, smarter than Taeyeon could ever hope to be.” Baekhyun’s eyes fluttered closed at the feeling of Jongdae’s fingers against his scalp. It had been a long time since he’d been so relaxed. He stretched out until his toes over the edge of the couch. 

“Let's not talk about her. You’re gonna start to get all depressed again and this is our night so lets not get depressed,” he ended up grumbling after a few moments of silence passed. He scrunched up his nose when he felt Jongdae’s thumb brush over his eyebrows. 

“Yeah… our night, huh?”

“Yup!” he said, making a popping sound as he did so.

“It can be… more than just one night, you know. I’d… I’d wait for you… all the way after college if you wanted.” Baekhyun opened his eyes with a frown, only then realizing that he’d fallen into the pit of conversation he was trying to avoid.

“See, I told you. Now you’re going to get all depressed.”

“Only because you’re in denial. You’re giving me this night, this chance, to prove it to you… right?” Rising up from his position on Jongdae’s lap, Baekhyun stretched on the opposite side of the couch.

“I’m sorry, Jongdae, I gave you the wrong idea. That wasn’t my intention.”

“But wasn’t it?” he said, voice slanting. “You’ve been torturing me for weeks. Don’t think I haven’t noticed the way you’ve been  _ clinging _ to me. What do you think you’re playing at?” 

“You’re imagining things. I’m just being friendly like we always used to be. I didn’t want you to feel awkward or that anything had changed.” The look Jongdae gave him was a mixture of sadness and anger but turned darker when his leg kicked the table causing some of the bottles to fall over.

“Just give me a chance. Just tonight.  _ Please _ , Baekhyun, I won’t ask you again… but just give me one chance.” Baekhyun sighed, going over to drag Jongdae up by his sleeve.

“You’re tired, drunk, and frustrated. Do you want me to get you a cab home or do you want to crash here for the night? I’m not letting you drive home,” he said, the conversation making him sober up rather quickly. When Jongdae just continued to stare at him Baekhyun decided to pull away to get the number for the taxi company but Jongdae wouldn’t let go. “Jongdae, really, stop it. You’re being ridicu-”

Jongdae pulled him in by the arm and connected his lips with his own. The air around Baekhyun seemed to turn cold even though his friend's eyes were deep with a fire he’d never seen before. When he was about to push him away Jongdae pulled him closer even harder, running his tongue over Baekhyun’s lips to try to gain access. Baekhyun pushed him away and Jongdae stumbled back a few steps.

“What the… what the fuck Jongdae… you’re out of your mind!”

“You liked it.”

“No! No I didn’t. Just leave before you make an even bigger fool of yourself.”

“Is that what you always see me as? A fool? Well maybe you’re just a tease! You like this, don’t you? You like leading me around on a leash, treating me like a fucking dog just to make yourself feel better about Taeyeon never wanting you!” The next time Jongdae grabbed him the two fell to the floor, Jongdae’s arm pressed across his chest, hips nudging down to meet his own. “Can’t you just let yourself go? Can’t you just let me show you how I can make you feel? All of these years you’ve never given me a chance but now you know, you absolutely know that I love you… but you keep treating me this way Baekkie…” 

Baekhyun’s eyes widened in building shock as his cheeks started to heat up once Jongdae continued to move his hips against his own, panic rising in his chest as he felt the buttons of his shirt being undone. Of all people in the world, why would Jongdae choose to do this to him? Maybe it’s because it was Jongdae that this hurt far more than what he’d had to do to get his delivery job. He wondered if this is what his mother felt like all the time.

“Jongdae… I’m serious. Stop it. I said-” but Jongdae’s tongue descended into his mouth, teeth nipping around the edges. Baekhyun continued to try to push Jongdae away but it wasn’t until his arms and legs grew weak and Jongdae’s hands had made their way to the front of his boxers that Baekhyun’s sobs snapped Jongdae out of whatever drunken haze he was pulled into. The moment he crawled away Baekhyun scurried to the opposite wall, arms wrapping tightly around himself.

“Get out,” he whispered.

“Baekhyun… I’m sorry… I don’t know what that was, just let me-”

“GET THE HELL OUT!” Baekhyun couldn’t bring himself to look at Jongdae as he stumbled out the door but locked it as soon as he left.

***

“Rise and shine Jonginnie,” Chanyeol said, touching a box of cold chocolate milk to his face. Jongin cracked open one of his eyes taking in a huge breath of air before swatting Chanyeol’s hand away, grabbing him by the hem of his tank top instead.

“Come back to bed. It’s cold down here when you’re up there,” he mumbled curling back into the pillow.

“The bus we want leaves every hour but I promised my dad we’d be there in time for lunch. We have to get up now,” he said, giving Jongin one kiss on the nose.

“Mmm… Sooyoung…”

“Is out visiting Mrs. Cha to tell her we’re leaving and she’ll be pissed if we’re not ready to go by the time she gets back. She wants to get to the bus before everyone else so she can sit by the back window like the characters in her favorite dramas.” 

With a few extra protests from Jongin, Chanyeol left him in bed going to sort through their various belongings. They really didn’t have much, just two or three bags each once they got rid of all of the instant noodles and flavored milk. As Chanyeol was moving his own bag, he noticed Jongin’s phone on top of the mini fridge.

“Jonginnie, you forgot to plug in your phone last night,” he said, moving over to pick up the object. “Do you want to wait to charge it until we get on the bus?” He looked over in time to see Jongin rising up on his elbows using one hand to rub his eyes. 

“I don’t need it. Everyone I’d have to call is already in this room,” he said sticking his tongue out. Chanyeol laughed.

“You’re so goofy in the morning.”

“Get used to it.”

Once Jongin was out of bed they brushed their teeth and washed each other’s hair filling up the last of the trashbags with the things they wouldn’t be bringing with them. Jongin stumbled upon one of Sooyoung’s plastic sunglasses that had flowers extending from the sides and was posing with them when there was a knock on the door. Jongin dramatically raised an eyebrow and Chanyeol rolled his eyes.

“The newspaper guys, probably,” he said, taking the few short strides to the front of the apartment.

Just as Chanyeol unbolted the door and twisted the handle, the door was pushed back slamming into his face and he heard Jongin scream right before there was another blow to his head and everything went black.


	30. Act II: Chapter XIV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT II: First love heals, first love hurts, and for some… first love is the only love.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Luhan  
> Scene II - Junmyeon  
> Scene III - Yixing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Luhan watched Yifan from the bed as the taller compared three separate ties against his crisp, white shirt. They were all black, skinny, and seemingly patternless. If he were to complain or question the act, Yifan would say that they are all by different designers. It would seem odd, Yifan saying something like that, but that’s the type of world he was from even if his broad shoulders and uncomfortable facial expressions made him seem like a countryside outcast when it was just him and Luhan in private. Yifan took many more things into consideration when making decisions than Luhan. Maybe that’s part of the reason why Luhan was perfectly content doing whatever Yifan told him to do. 

The taller man bent awkwardly at the knees trying to see himself through the tiny mirror Luhan had hung on the wall of his room. 

“You’ve really been living down here all this time?” he asked, voice gruff, eyebrows folding in on themselves in concentration. Luhan let Yifan’s voice wash over him. It was the first thing he had said since walking into Super Junior’s. 

“I’ve grown quite fond of it.”

“You should be staying somewhere better.”

“Most people don’t think very highly of me.” Yifan straightened, tie chosen, looking at Luhan through the mirror instead of turning around. At one point in time Luhan would’ve been slightly offended, but now he understood such stiffness to be a result of nerves. Luhan knew he could make Yifan nervous. 

“I didn’t want to send Yixing here with you. I don’t trust him but-”

“But he was the most logical choice. I understand. It really wasn’t a problem.” Having Yixing as a roommate was far from the worst thing that had ever happened to him. 

Yifan turned around, hands sliding into his pockets. He was thinking about business now. He hated thinking about business. 

“You’ll be accompanying me tonight?” Luhan decided to ask.

“You have work to do.”

“But I still need a lift there. Do you want me to walk?” Yifan sighed, back turning to rest against the door as he finally looked at him.

“You’ll be moving someplace more appropriate as soon as the party is over,” he said followed by a slight cough. “Yixing can stay here. He likes cold jail cells.” Luhan couldn’t help but laugh a little. 

“He’s been a bit distracted these past few weeks. I think he has a crush on somebody. Hasn’t laid a single finger on me,” he said, grinning, getting up to walk over to where Yifan was since by now it was obvious it wouldn’t be the other way around. “He didn’t even get that annoyed,” he whispered, “when I’d touch myself at night begging you to keep me company.” Luhan licked his lips before stepping away, inwardly smiling at the red that appeared on the taller man’s face. “I bet they’re about ready to start that meeting upstairs. You should go. I’d tell you to not put your feet on the table or else Siwon would kill you but I have a feeling he wouldn’t openly object.” Yifan sniffed once, twice, before heading out into the narrow hallway. Without looking Luhan knew that with each step Yifan’s posture would correct itself and by the time he stood before Siwon he would be an entirely different man.

Luhan turned to look at the outfit on his bed that Yifan had brought him. He wasn’t a fan of wearing fancy clothes but at parties like this there wasn’t much he could do about it. The sun was still up though, and if Luhan attempted to fit into the black and white ensemble it would be hopelessly wrinkled and dirty by the time the party actually began.

The main floor of Super Junior’s was empty, chairs stacked along the sides, bar clean, stage scrubbed. It would be a joy to see how this place would change now that Yifan was here and it made Luhan a little bit too giddy.

But pushing open the large doors to let in the autumn breeze, Luhan was met with empty catlike eyes and a mop of messy hair. Now he was definitely too giddy. He stood to the side to let the boy in. 

“Perfect timing, Chen. I’m in need of a chauffeur.”

***

Junmyeon walked around the large room of people, hands a little bit sweaty. The past twenty-four hours all seemed like a blur, Youngwoon shoving too much information into his head to remember. His partner really did know Twins Hotel inside and out since he had done similar reconnaissance missions there when he was younger. The two of them had stayed up late into the night continuing their research on the silver dragon, Youngwoon not always completely shooting down all of his theories. Junmyeon felt that they had made more progress in one night than the others who had been assigned his case if only because they didn’t cut China out of their considerations. The rising gang violence was definitely due to some type of interference from at least one Chinese crime syndicate, possibly one linked with the Wu family. They were beginning to have a growing presence in Seoul, killing members of both of the city’s most notorious gangs to send a message.

What Junmyeon didn’t want to think about, but what Youngwoon kept bringing up, was why Junmyeon would be invited to this gathering. If they knew he had been doing research on them, why hadn’t they just killed him? Youngwoon claimed it was because these crime lords loved to be cocky and almost always thought they were indestructible. Messing with the police when they usually tried to stay off the radar entirely made Youngwoon think that people who were relatively young were leading this particular underground invasion or that they had enough eyes within the police force to write off Junmyeon as a serious threat since he was taken off of the case. Junmyeon didn’t like the idea of that very much. No matter what he thought about his coworkers, he couldn’t imagine any of them working with Phantom, Sapphire, or anyone remotely similar. 

He paused by the bar, scanning the faces of business people speaking all sorts of languages including a large amount of Mandarin. Youngwoon was in the building somewhere supposedly watching his back, listening for things. Going out in the field for the first time without a badge and without a firearm was nerve wracking and the knife strapped just under his pant leg had long since turned warm against his skin. Tonight he wasn’t a cop, he was just a curious person accepting an invitation. Youngwoon went through extreme lengths to make sure Junmyeon had the bare minimum on in terms of things that could possibly connect him with the police. However, now that he was actually here, Junmyeon wished he had some kind of open form of communication with his partner… or former partner.

A fidgety man sat down on a barstool one seat away from him, brow covered in sweat as he shuffled around folded tourist maps and Korean phrase books. He looked to the bartender a few times as if preparing to say something before flipping through more pages. Junmyeon looked the poor guy up and down. He looked young. It was still very early into the night with many people still arriving.

“Um… excuse me? Do you need help?” The man jumped a bit, a shocked expression turning into a dimple-lined smile.

“Alcohol party is very good chance to uh… practice with the bartender uh… practice of Korean?” Junmyeon smiled.

“You want to practice your Korean? The bartender is usually very busy so people might get frustrated if you try to practice with him. Do you have any friends that can help you order?” he said a little bit slowly. The man’s forehead creased for a moment.

“Yes, of course,” the man said, shoulders sagging a bit. “I practice with you?” he said with a hopeful look. The young man’s suit looked to be a size too big on him and the knot of his tie was extraordinarily tight. “I am Yixing.” Junmyeon’s eyes wandered around the room quickly one more time. They were only just now beginning to set up the podium for the night. He could kill some time. Youngwoon did stress that he should try to act natural. Looking at people without saying anything at what was supposed to be a networking party of sorts was definitely not acting natural.

“Sure. Where are you from?”

“China. Changsha. I am prince of Changsha.”

“A prince? Really?”

“No,” he laughed, dimples glowing. “But I say it for many years so… people treat me like prince. Many ladies. Many men. I am good lover.” Junmyeon blushed as Yixing put his various papers on the bar keeping one book open to advanced sentence patterns. Maybe he didn’t mean what he thought he meant. 

“Yixing. Have you ever been to Beijing?” Junmyeon put one elbow on the bar. If Yixing was invited to this party maybe he knew something about the organizers, the Chinese ones specifically.

“Beijing is popular but is very boring class trip. I find beautiful people in Beijing. Good thing they not born in Changsha or else becoming prince be harder.” Yixing was so serious that everything he said just sounded funny to Junmyeon.

“Do you know of the Wu family? I hear they have lots of businesses in China.”

“Wu family? Wu is actual prince. Wu could be king. Everyone knows of Wu. Wealthy celebrities. So much drama though. Father and son not get along. Everybody knows… everyone who follows, anyway. Wu Yifan was popular in my high school days. Very attractive man. I was big fan.”

“Not a fan anymore?” Yixing shook his head.

“Major attitude problem. At big Wu Enterprises party, Yifan come wearing wrong family symbol. Uh… grey dragon, not yellow. All over magazines say Yifan is reckless child.” Junmyeon couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This was too easy.

“Has… has Yifan ever been to Korea? Has he come to Korea recently?” Yixing shrugged.

“Not too popular these days. Maybe, maybe not. Many do not care anymore. Just many years ago in high school. Are you businessman like Wu?” Junmyeon thought back to everything Youngwoon had made him memorize. He’d never done anything like this before.

“I’m an investment banker. The higher circles speak of the Wu family sometimes.” Yixing nodded, contemplating for a few moments.

“Yes. This is a big party for big businessmen so it makes sense that you are businessman. Many Chinese are invited, sometimes Wu comes too. If you are fan of Wu and if you are uh… banker? I can get Wu introduction since my family is good.” Junmyeon ordered drinks for the both of them, Yixing squinting as the bitter liquid slid down his throat.

“You don’t seem very used to gatherings like this,” he said hoping the man wouldn’t be offended. He was just so awkward and something told Junmyeon that he was even awkward when speaking in his native tongue. 

“I am second child so I get sent to Korea. No room for me at events in China. Korea is not as big of concern for family business.” Junmyeon’s eyes slid down the rings on Yixing’s fingers and the material of his clothes. Yixing’s outfit probably cost more than what Junmyeon made in three months. 

“Sounds like those TV dramas.” Yixing’s eyes lit up.

“Dramas? Korean dramas? I like  _ Winter Sonata _ and  _ Coffee Prince _ . They help me learn Korean!” Once they started discussing other Korean and Chinese TV shows, Junmyeon started subtly paying attention to the rest of the room again. The bar was getting more crowded and the podium was all set up so he’d probably have to stop his conversation with Yixing soon.

He noticed the bartender glancing in his direction every now and then like he was annoyed or maybe it was because Yixing had left all of his books and papers resting on the bar. For such a fancy place the bartender looked a little bit scary, sharp features and bulky outline a little bit out of place beneath black clothes that were supposed to be slimming.

“Oh! My friend is here!” Yixing said, looking at his phone. “You must meet him. He tells my father to invite me here. Just in next room?” Yixing pointed to the large pair of doors that Junmyeon assumed led to another part of the event space but now it was definitely crowded and time for him to start what he came here for in the first place. His eyes landed on a group of men speaking quite loudly in Mandarin, knuckles and necks shining with even more expensive jewelry than Yixing had, downing refreshments and flirting with the servers as they passed.

“Um… maybe later, Yixing,” he said, tongue suddenly feeling a little heavy. The group definitely made him nervous. Turning back to the man he was just smiling.

“You look uneasy?” he said, holding out his hand for Junmyeon. He declined the offer and prepared to stand up.

But his legs wouldn’t move.

His tongue felt heavier and now and he realized he couldn’t move his fingers either. The bartender was no longer looking at him.

Panicking, he tried to move himself forward but only managed to topple over onto Yixing who held him closely. From the corner of his eye Junmyeon saw someone going up to speak at the podium. Nobody was looking towards the bar anymore and Yixing was oddly calm. 

It was the drink.

He expected to pass out any second, waited for his vision to get fuzzy or for breathing to become difficult as Yixing dragged him under the bar and through a door that the bartender graciously opened for them. He didn’t though. He stayed perfectly conscious, perfectly aware of everything happening to him, perfectly aware of the pain of the steps digging into his back as Yixing mumbled to himself in Mandarin, eying Junmyeon up and down every few seconds.

Junmyeon was left on his back in the stairwell when Yixing stepped out of his range of sight and was filled with a renewed sense of dread when the man whose photo he had looked over far too many times came to stand above him, gentle features and large eyes filled with curiosity. 

***

Yixing looked through the collection of knives as Luhan continued to tap his foot on the floor impatiently.

“If you wish to go fuck Yifan then just go do it already. I don’t need you here.”

“He’s busy,” Luhan grumbled, moving to circle the younger police officer again. Yixing wanted him to step away from the man, the beautiful but meddlesome man he’d spent so much time getting to know these past several weeks. Speaking to him in person had been unexpectedly exhilarating and seeing him now so chemically immobilized sent the good type of burn to his groin. 

He jerked his head in annoyance though when the other police officer groaned. Yixing didn’t recall giving Junmyeon a plus one to this event and the older cop’s existence was driving him up the wall. Without him he probably could’ve had more alone time with Junmyeon.

Closing Luhan’s box of useless tools, Yixing went into his own bag for his machete, not enjoying the toys Luhan insisted he use for the sake of tidiness. 

“STOP TOUCHING HIM!” he shouted when Luhan went to experimentally flick Junmyeon’s knee. “He has nothing to do with you.”

“Wow, Yixing. You’ve really fallen hard.” Yixing couldn’t wait for the day he could finally kill Luhan. 

He wrinkled his nose as he went to flip the struggling officer over onto his stomach, winking at Junmyeon who was propped prettily against the far wall as he did so. Yixing really didn’t have a reason to hate the man below him but he was jealous that Kim Youngwoon had gotten to spend so much time with Junmyeon while the only thing Yixing could do was read, watch, and listen. In a way Yixing was very proud of the young man. Of all the officers in Seoul following dead ends, Kim Junmyeon had been the only one to look into the Silver Dragon, the only one to wander onto Sapphire property asking questions about Luhan. In another life maybe he’d been more successful. 

“Everyone deserves to love,” he said, ignoring the glare Luhan sent him, tugging up Youngwoon by the hair and resting the machete against his throat just for kicks. The poor man couldn’t understand a word either of them were saying.

Tugging back more so Junmyeon got a good view of the man’s neck and chest for the sake of getting the overall message across, Yixing violently dug the large blade across the Youngwoon’s throat right through the adam’s apple giving himself a mental pat on the back for choosing a room with a concrete floor so that whatever useless fuckers had to clean this place wouldn’t have to work that much harder than usual for shitty pay. Luhan had no right to ever say he wasn’t thoughtful. 

Throwing the man aside, Yixing walked over to Junmyeon, wiping off a tear that was running down his face. Sitting down leaning against the wall next to him, Yixing put his arm around his shoulders, moving Junmyeon’s head to rest against his own.

“You’re so cute I don’t want to kill you yet,” he said as Luhan began to impatiently hack away the fallen officer’s limbs, blood getting all over the nice white clothes. “Partner coming saved you from much torture… but you must stop hunting. You quit job now so everything is good. No cops. No snooping. Understand?” Junmyeon was so pretty, just like a doll. Yixing almost didn’t want to wipe away the tears that continued to fall from his eyes because they made the man glow even more.

Junmyeon’s lips and fingers started to twitch. 

Not enjoying watching the heyday Luhan was having and noticing quite grimly that they were behind schedule, Yixing separated himself from Junmyeon, brushing off the dust he had gotten on his pants. “I will improve Korean and stay in touch!” he said proudly with a grin. 

Finally after waiting for so long, it was time to set things in motion.


	31. Act II: Chapter XV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT II: First love heals, first love hurts, and for some… first love is the only love.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Jongin  
> Scene II - Jongdae  
> Scene III - Baekhyun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Jongin had worn his best clothes that morning. He didn’t want Chanyeol’s father to think he was a troublemaker, a delinquent, a street rat, or a failure.

He wore a navy blue turtleneck tucked into clean jeans that didn’t have any rips or stains on them. He wore a belt and bought new shoelaces too. Both shoes were tied tightly. He’d even washed his jacket. Like this he thought he looked like a boy, like any boy you’d pass by in a park or an arcade. Maybe he even looked like someone Chanyeol deserved to have.

But now everything was dirty, fraying, and disheveled. There was mud and blood on his tongue, behind his teeth, stuck in his throat. It hurt to put weight on his right ankle. He had soiled himself sometime around midday. None of it mattered though because all he could think about was the fact that Chanyeol wasn’t here. He didn’t know where he was at all.

“I’m bored,” Minho said, none too gently nudging Jongin’s cheek with his foot. “I can’t believe Youngmin made me leave to look after this little shit. I’m the one who knew where to find him!”

“Oh shut the fuck up, kid,” a large man said from over by the hood of a car.

They were outside somewhere industrial. The sun had set. Jongin had been here a few times before when running errands. It had been hours since he last tried to ask about Chanyeol. That was when one of his teeth had gotten knocked loose. 

Another man walked out of the building they were behind before speaking silently with his two companions. Minho turned around excitedly, grabbing one of Jongin’s arms while the large man grabbed the other.

Inside was spacious and dimly lit and Jongin remembers a frightened woman standing where he was now being dragged. She had been begging for help. She had looked straight at him. It all seemed like such a long time ago especially since most of his bad memories had been replaced with those of Chanyeol’s eyes, of Chanyeol’s laugh, of Chanyeol’s touch.

The room was much more crowded than Jongin had ever seen it. He had an audience. Most if not all of Phantom must’ve been there and in the back Jongin noticed a handful of other kids his age from other schools, hands crossed over their puffed out chests. He looked at one of them whose gaze ended up faltering when met with his own.

On a couch in the middle was Youngmin, Jinki standing off to the side looking pensive, Minho just within reach of the shadows with his hands tugging on Taemin’s hair who seemed completely out of it, collapsed and leaning against his leg. Jongin forced himself to stand. His ankle was swollen. Nobody made a move to come closer to him.

“You know, I’ve never had such a hectic day all because of some runt,” Youngmin said leaning back into the couch. “But now that you’re here in front of me I really do remember you. You’re the kid who came around asking for money assuming I had that much to spare. Jinki, how many times have you asked me for money?”

“None, Boss.”

“And how long have we known each other?”

“Six years, Boss.”

“Exactly. Yet Kim Kai came grovelling to me when I had never seen him before in my life. Yunho never made such a poor decision in taking on a charity case.” Jongin looked around the room trying to spot Chanyeol. Taemin had his head tucked between his knees. “But Kim Kai is a little bit behind on the times. He missed the big meeting. Do you want to hear the good news or the bad news first?” Jongin bit his lip before realizing Youngmin expected him to answer.

“Good news… Boss.” Youngmin smiled. 

“The good news is Lee Sooman has come to the decision that he has accomplished so much in his lifetime that he has chosen to spend the rest of his years living peacefully in his new estate in Los Angeles. Have you ever been there?”

“No, Boss.”

“It’s very nice. The bad news is three of some of my best men have mysteriously disappeared: Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Xiah who according to my records has been giving you all of your assignments for several months now. Is that correct?”

“Yes, Boss.”

“And were you informed of his impending departure?”

“No, Boss.” Youngmin sighed.

“Didn’t think so. But you can understand why I’m pretty pissed off right now. You see, they took off with some important information. Yunho is out looking for them even though I told him to stay here because that bastard thinks he can just do whatever he wants. But Xiah really did like you very much. Is there any chance you’re lying to me?”

“No, Boss.”

“Have you ever lied to me?”

“No, Boss.”

“Ah, but a little bird informed me that you _have_ knowingly deceived me.” Jongin stiffened. He had to find Chanyeol.

“I’m not sure what you mean, Boss.” Youngmin leaned forward on his knees.

“I am a generous man and lend money to those who follow me because I care about them and I trust them. People I do not trust, but lend money to, receive it through one of Phantom’s many businesses that hand out loans. Now imagine all of these men that I do and do not trust. Do you think it would irritate me if they were _willingly_ exchanging the money _I_ gave them to… let's say… help each other out of a tight situation?” Jongin’s balance faltered, freshly cut nails still managing to dig into his skin.

“I… I paid it back. I worked for you!”

“But yet at that point the deception had already occurred. You stood before me on countless occasions without saying a word.” He smiled. “But at least you’re not denying it. You really are a good kid.” A door opened in the back of the room, two men dragging a lump across the floor. It is something that Jongin would see in his nightmares and for a moment his stomach felt light, brain fuzzy trying to comprehend the way Chanyeol’s arm bent at such an unnatural angle, the way the top of one of his large ears simply _hung_ there swinging with the momentum of his body being jerked forward as the men put one foot in front of the other, the way a large gash went through where one of his eyes was supposed to be, where it still was, but split and ruined beyond repair.

When he was brought before Jongin, forced up onto his knees, his dazed expression lit up like he had just woken up on Christmas morning. That’s how he looked at Jongin.

“Jongin… Jongin thank god you’re ok…” The scratchiness of his voice brought Jongin from the depths of his nightmares to the depths of his reality. Ignoring the sharp pain in his foot he fell before Chanyeol, fingers stroking his hair, breath quickening, chest tightening, tears falling as he felt the elder’s good arm wrap around him.

“I… I-I’m so sorry. It’s my fault. It’s all my fault. Your eye… your eye oh god Yeol…”

“Don’t worry about it. Doctors are smart. Just do whatever they ask and we can get out of here. We gotta… go pick up Soo and catch the next bus… after a trip to the hospital of course.” He laughed. Youngmin cleared his throat.

“So as you see, Mr. Park is very aware of my high level of irritation right now. Yesung settled his displaced debt with him throughout the day, quite graciously I might add, but this whole situation still puts me in a rotten mood especially given that I’ve only been running Phantom for two days.” Jongin ignored him instead reaching out to straighten Chanyeol’s shirt trying to get the dirt off of him, trying to make sure none of his cuts would get infected.

“Jonginnie…” he whispered, putting a hand on his chest. “You’ve gotta stand up. Find out what he wants… Hey, have you eaten yet?”

“No…”

“Ok so go talk to him and I’ll figure out what to do for dinner.” Jongin didn’t move. “Do it for me? Please?” After a few moments he reluctantly withdrew his arms scooting back and hobbling to his feet with the feeling of nausea creeping up on him.

“What… what do you want me to do? I’ll do anything just please let him leave now. He didn’t do anything. It was all me. He didn’t know about anything until long after it was all over I swear… please believe me… I’ll do whatever it is you want.” Youngmin scratched the back of his neck before standing up and stretching.

“There are a lot of new people here,” he said loudly, “as well as people who have been running around saying how they’re part of Phantom but have not been putting in their fair share for this family to operate at full efficiency. I would be the happiest man in the world knowing that each and every one of you were reaching your full potential. You now all see an example of what happens when people get _lazy_ , when they cut corners and leave kids unsupervised, when people young and old think only for themselves and not as a team! IT MAKES ME SICK. IT MAKES ME SIMPLY MURDEROUS.” He circled behind Jongin, elbow resting on his shoulder. “But I believe in fate,” he said, voice calming down slightly. “I believe in destiny, I believe in second chances, and most of all I believe in luck. And I know that this boy here is good. I know he can be loyal and love the hand that feeds him if given the right mentor.”

Youngmin’s touch sent chills through his skin but Chanyeol was still holding his gaze. It was warm, a gentle fire, something that managed to keep Jongin grounded even now until he felt something cold press into his hands.

“You see this, Kai?” Youngmin whispered into his ear. “Look inside. You see it yourself. One bullet.” He closed the weapon, spun the chamber, and pulled away walking past the two boys and back to the couch, falling down with a sigh. “Kai is my family, like a son and even though he has been led astray I can break him down and remold him to be the best man Phantom has ever seen… if that is what is meant to be." Jongin felt the cool metal against his hands. In all this time, he had never held a gun before. It felt so horrible he couldn't even look at it. 

“You ask what I want you to do, Kai? Simple. Put that gun to your head and pull the trigger then shove it in our client's eye and do the same. If you die, that’s a shame. If he dies, I really don’t give a shit. If you both live… then I suppose this was all meant to be and I'll walk out of here having yet another young and strong recruit. Focus on the fact that I’m giving him a chance to live at all. See how benevolent I am? Do this and then we can move to the next topic of conversation, the details of your life debt to me. Unrepayable.”

Jongin broke out into a cold sweat, fear clenching every atom of his body. Chanyeol looked pale as he raised the weapon to his head.

“That’s right. Keep it close and straight. Your wrists look skinny and you might knick someone else if you can’t handle the recoil.” This was the first time Jongin had seen Chanyeol look so close to a meltdown.

“Jongin… no… Jonginnie just hold on a second. We can find another way out of this ok? Put down the gun, just put it-”

“You heard him, hyung. I have to do this. I _have_ to. Maybe I deserve it. It’s all my fault. I just want you to get out of here. You have a family, friends, everything. I only have you but you have so much more. I only have you and it’s already too much… I couldn’t even keep you safe.”

“NO! JUST SHUT UP JONGIN. STOP AND PUT IT DOWN AND-”

He pulled the trigger.

The deafening silence in the room was only disturbed by Chanyeol’s heavy breathing… alongside Jongin’s. Chanyeol sagged backwards, tears of relief sliding down his face.

“I’m… I’m sorry hyung…”

“Don’t _ever_ do that… don’t let me not get to say that I love you… I love you so much you don’t even realize.”

“Kai,” Youngmin interrupted, “I don’t have all day. I have a dinner reservation in an hour back in town with the police commissioner.” It took a moment for Jongin to respond, heart lurching painfully in his chest.

“Please… is it possible to just let him go? I promise to never speak to or see him again. I’ll do whatever you want.” Youngmin frowned before pulling out a gun of his own and pointing it at Chanyeol.

“Don’t test my patience. You definitely won’t get lucky.”

Jongin’s eyes shifted back to Chanyeol who had since calmed down regaining as much composure as was possible given the situation.

Everything about Chanyeol was big: he was tall, had big eyes, big floppy ears, big smile, big personality, big voice. Everything was oversized. Awkward. Even before Jongin knew it, he’d enjoyed the way the senior would trail after him like a puppy through the halls of a school that before Jongin could never even dream of attending. 

But in this moment Jongin wished he never met Chanyeol. Jongin wished Chanyeol lived somewhere far away from Seoul maybe on a farm with sheep or donkeys or chickens. He imagined Chanyeol chasing chickens around on his long chopstick legs with his little sister and his dad and his mom who would’ve never left them. 

“Jonginnie,” Chanyeol called out softly, “it’s just like ripping off a bandaid. Just do it quickly.” He shook his head.

“I can’t… I can’t do this. I want to go home.” His voice cracked and his whole body was shaking again.

“C’mere. Come close to me.” Jongin shuffled forward, relaxing a bit at the feeling of Chanyeol’s rough fingertips on his skin. “How many times have I told you that you don’t have to worry? It’s bad for your health, even worse than all the fried chicken you guilt me into feeding you.”

“Hyung…” 

“What’s your favorite color?” Jongin sniffled. 

“You already know.”

“Do I?”

“Blue.”

“What’s your favorite cartoon?”

“One Piece.”

“What’s your favorite animal?”

“Chinchilla.” Chanyeol laughed again. He laughed too much.

“Chinchilla… of course. I asked my dad if we could get a dog. I wanted it to be a surprise but there’s a puppy waiting for us in Daejeon and I won’t let you name her until you do what the man says. Until then, her name is Betsy.” Somehow the corner of Jongin’s mouth tilted upward.

“You can’t name a dog Betsy. Betsy is a cow’s name.” Chanyeol smoothed his thumb over his wrist, tugging it and the weapon towards his head. “Now hurry up. I’m getting a little dizzy… and my face… it hurts as bad as it looks.” Jongin started to shake again.

“I never thought I could love someone as much as I love you, hyung. I love you so much it doesn’t make sense. I love you so much I don’t know what to do with it all.” Chanyeol smiled.

“I know. That’s one of the things that makes you so cute.” He held his gaze. “I love you.” 

Chanyeol let his hand fall from Jongin’s wrist to rest in his lap and he knew that the elder was not going to say anything more.

The blood wasn’t warm when it hit his face. It was hot, scorching hot. It was as if fire was running over his knuckles and down his arms. It was like molten lava flowing down Chanyeol’s face from where a chunk of his skull had been blown away, blood pooling rapidly beneath his still body. Jongin fell with him into that red river, to the concrete, gathering him in his arms and searching for the gaze he knew would be cold.

He tried to speak but was met with silence. Shadows that had been repressed in his mind by Chanyeol’s sun now twisted through him, broke whatever happiness had been left into dust. And just like that the heat was gone. He looked at the boy in his arms and felt cold. Everything was cold. A piece of reality had been removed and Jongin knew he would never feel warm again.

Behind him he heard the sound of a pistol being reloaded and the next moment it was pressed into the back of his head. But he paid it no mind, instead cradling Chanyeol in his arms, holding him close in this world for the last time. 

“Now you see,” Youngmin yelled to the room, “what happens when you cross me! But now you also see the mercy I give to those who did wrong.” The press of the weapon disappeared. “What a great lesson! What a great introduction to the new Phantom!” Youngmin bent down next to Jongin like he was soaking up every wave of sorrow that drowned him. 

“Please,” Jongin whispered, looking at the blood that continued to cascade from Chanyeol’s head. “Let me die.”

“You want to join him?” Youngmin said, smile evident in his voice. “Normally I would but… you have a pretty face… and today is a celebration. You are going to be _very_ useful to me, Kai.”

***

Jongdae could feel eyes drifting towards his direction from time to time as the group of Chinese men introduced themselves to Siwon. The one standing closest, a man who he now knew was called Hangeng, was shadowed by a far more frightening looking man named Yifan. Luhan was always a few steps behind the trio, gaze somehow submissive and arrogant at the same time. 

The penthouse of Twins Hotel was the liveliest thing Jongdae had seen in a while and he blushed when he heard Siwon explain to his listeners how _tame_ and _polite_ Chen was, how _cute_ it was when he’d flinch and whine if you fucked him the right way. But Siwon hadn’t really spoken to him ever since he returned to Super Junior’s. It had only been Luhan and Yixing who would mostly ask to be driven around places. Luhan said he was much better and more capable than a simple plaything. 

“Can he do anything significant?” Even though Jongdae’s eyes were trained on the dark navy carpet, he could match the ridged, monotone, accented voice with Yifan.

“Does he interest you, Yifan?” Siwon walked over to him and tapped his chin. Jongdae looked up slightly. “He’s perfectly trained, I assure you. I can send him out and he’ll come back to me at the end of the day.”

“He might interest me… should he develop a more practical skill set. It is in our interest to only keep things around that are practical. Simple pleasure is a waste.” Siwon hesitated a bit, the face he showed to these newcomers faltering a bit before his smile returned and his gloating continued.

“I’m sure we can work something out. You can get a closer look if you’d like.”

Luhan’s eyes settled on him as Yifan walked closer, thumb running across his cheek before circling him, expression not giving away if he was satisfied or not. 

“If Luhan could take care of him… I would be pleased,” Yifan said. 

***

The day Baekhyun received notice that he’d been accepted with a full ride scholarship to Yonsei was the day he was called in to identify Chanyeol’s body. They said it was a miracle he made it through the ice since most things this time of year were completely frozen over. The snow preserved what the sea hadn’t destroyed first.

Kyungsoo and Sooyoung came too but it was another week before her grandparents arrived from Daejeon. Sooyoung’s father had gone into cardiac arrest soon after hearing of his son’s demise so the Parks ended up arranging a combined funeral service for the two of them. Sooyoung was filled with the idea that her mother would come back for her at the funeral. She didn’t. Jongdae’s number was no longer in service.

“He had a boyfriend… but you already knew that,” Baekhyun told one of the investigators. 

“Did he ever fight with his boyfriend? Was there anyone out there who might’ve… wanted to get rid of both of them for some reason?” Jongin still hadn’t been found.

“I don’t… I didn’t really know his boyfriend. We never really spoke. Jongin didn’t hang around the best people. I wouldn’t be surprised if he got wrapped up in something… complicated.” 

Sooyoung refused to leave Seoul. She wanted things to stay the same as much as possible. She wanted to stay at least until they found Jongin. Kyungsoo’s parents offered to take her in with the agreement that her grandparents would help cover the expenses. She was to have weekly appointments with a nice doctor named Park Jeongsu to help her work through all that had happened. By the time Baekhyun finished his paperwork to defer his start at school, Sooyoung insisted on being called Joy.

For some reason Baekhyun hoped Jongdae would show up before Kyungsoo’s first day of college. In the end he attributed this desire to the fact that he was lonely, empty, and sad. Both of his old friends were gone. 

But when he accompanied Kyungsoo to Yonsei in early March, bag filled with resumes to search for better work, the grass was as vibrant and the buildings were as grand as they were in pictures with winter slowly melting off the stone.

It was time for a new year.

**END OF ACT II**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congrats! You've reached the end of Act II. This story has now reached the halfway mark but I also know this is the point at which I'm probably going to lose half my audience. If you choose to continue, I promise there is still much more to come.
> 
> OTHER STORIES BY UNUSUAL_TABLE
> 
> [Two Minutes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24045196/chapters/57859369): Jongin was born just two minutes after Kai. It took him a long time to realize he didn’t need to spend the rest of his life trying to catch up. [TWINS!AU - CHANKAI, SEKAI]
> 
> [Bound by Silver](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23604130/chapters/56642974): Master had three simple rules for Wolf to follow. The first was to never go beyond the fence. The second was to never speak to lodgers. The third was to never respond to the howl of the Mountain Spirits that could be heard on nights of the full moon. [WOFL!AU - SEKAI, BAEKYEOL, LAYHAN]
> 
> [Ghost Light](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24366250/chapters/58764295): After Junmyeon’s life falls apart, he retreats to his family’s small home near Daegu. Sequestered in his little house on the hill, he soon finds himself acquainted with an odd mailman named Zhang Yixing. [THEATRE!AU - SULAY]


	32. Act III: Chapter I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT III: When Yunho's friends come down from Seoul they usually don't stay for very long but Sehun had a feeling that Kai wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Yifan  
> Scene II - Junmyeon  
> Scene III - Sehun
> 
> FIRST APPEARANCE (EXO): Sehun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Yifan opened his eyes squinting at the sunlight that had managed to sneak its way through the curtains automatically tightening his arms around the man draped across his chest, puffs of air from the elder’s mouth and nose hitting his sternum.

While there were many things that had changed about Luhan over the years, he always looked like an angel while he slept. Here amongst lavish black and silver bedding he looked like an angel who had been plucked from its home and nestled in the shadows, innocently unaware of its fate because it had yet to wake. But Yifan knew better. Not only did Luhan thrive in the shadows, he was born in them.

Carding his fingers through Luhan’s hair, he watched as he started to stir, puffs of hot breath replaced with tiny licks then kisses then sharp teeth.

“Ow… good morning to you too.” Luhan slid up his body to rest his forehead against his neck.

“What were you thinking about so early in the day?” he asked, hand trailing up and down his abdomen. 

“Mm… just about the day I found you.” He couldn’t see it, but he knew Luhan probably rolled his eyes before propping himself up to straddle his chest, biting at his lower lip for being as nostalgic as an old man before hopping off the bed entirely, naked hips swaying from side to side as he walked.

“Stop thinking about useless things. You should be spending more time figuring out what to do with all of your new acquisitions. Hangeng won’t move forward with anything you don’t at least seem marginally interested in and Siwon is stupid.” Yifan groaned and rolled over onto his stomach watching Luhan lean against the dresser typing on his phone, mouthing words quickly as he did so.

“They’re too busy being wrapped up in childish feuds that don’t interest me. I’ve taken all of the necessary steps to make sure nothing goes wrong.”

“Don’t be so cocky. This is complicated.”

“Only to you, Luhan.” He didn’t try to dodge the box of tissues that was thrown at his face. Whatever Luhan would’ve thrown next if he missed would be harder.

“Fuck you. Don’t come whining to me when the only things of Phantom that get handed to you are served burnt to the ground.” Yifan got up from the bed while Luhan continued to mutter to himself. He was always like this first thing in the morning.

“I’m sorry, Lu. What’s going on today? Is it Chen?” Luhan scoffed.

“No. Chen is perfectly fine. More than fine, actually. He adapted better than anyone thought he would.”

“Mm…” he said, walking over to Luhan to put his robe around his shoulders. “Then what?”

“Do I really have to remind you every year? It’s the anniversary of your mother’s death and you should really do something for once.” Yifan scratched his head and yawned trying to ignore the sight of the silk and lace now outlining Luhan’s thighs. 

“If she wanted me to remember her, she shouldn’t have gotten in the way of us. She should’ve stayed quiet, should’ve been happy with what I gave her and where I put her.” Luhan wasn’t acknowledging him but Yifan knew he was listening. “You should remember that too, Luhan.” That caught his attention.

“Of course. The  _ young master _ always gets what he wants after all.” 

***

“Hello, may I speak to Mr. Pak? Hi Mr. Pak. My name is Kim Junmyeon. How are-” the dial tone always started to grate on his nerves by 3:00PM.

“Hello. My name is Kim Junmyeon. Say, have you been having trouble with your vacuum cleaner?” 

_ Click. _

“Our cleaning supplies are rated number one amongst housewives from Seoul to Osaka. Yes… yes it’s ok if you’re not a housewife, but the supplies really are fantas-” 

_ Click. _

Junmyeon sighed and scrolled to the next phone number, the woman to his left getting into a heated debate with whatever poor guy was on the other end of the line. It was 4:47 PM. If he went to the bathroom now he could easily stay away until 4:52PM and then it would only be eight minutes until he could leave for the weekend. 

Ignoring the stiffness in his legs, Junmyeon shuffled along the rows of desks and creaking swivel chairs avoiding the stares different supervisors were bound to shoot at him. He’d only had this job for four months but it felt like decades had passed. The police kept him on payroll for another month after he handed in his badge mostly because they believed he’d need professional help to get over the shock of having his former partner’s intestines draped around his neck like a string of pearls. All he really ended up needing was alcohol. It had been odd jobs ever since. The call center gave him time to think, at least. 

He stood over the sink splashing water into his face then went to take a piss just to see if anything would come out. His face in the broken mirror looked sweaty. For some reason the building had already turned the central heating on even though it was only October. 

Water dripped from a broken faucet. He looked at that for a while.

It was 5:00 PM. 

Bo-ah would call every Friday at approximately 5:23 PM. Junmyeon would take the call by the fountain in the nearby mall. She would ask how his week was, talk about something that didn’t matter, then invite him out for drinks with the other officers. He would decline and catch the 5:44 PM bus to his apartment. Today was no different.

He arrived at his apartment at 6:56 PM, a large container of japchae and a bottle of soju nestled in a black plastic bag hanging from his elbow. Another red rose was left on his doorstep. He pushed it to the side with his foot into the pile of similar red roses that sat there in different phases of dying and dead.

It didn’t take long for Zhang Yixing to find out where he moved. He didn’t want to think about how his new landlord was Chinese, how it was distantly possible they knew each other, but making that assumption would be unfair and rude. If Yixing had found him from what little time he’d spent doing research on the Silver Dragon flag, it would not be difficult for him to track down an address. 

The apartment was tiny but he didn’t need much room. On the weekends he could spend entire days in bed doing nothing and be content. The occasional trip to the shared bathroom down the hall was enough adventure for him especially when the crazy artistic girl was hogging it trying to bathe her cat. Junmyeon didn’t have enough energy to ask her why she didn’t simply just use a bucket or the sink.

He still kept multiple cardboard boxes filled with all of the cases he had worked on officially and unofficially. Even now he took guilty pleasure in reading through the newspaper, keeping up with sanitized police reports packaged for the press until he would get too excited, realize it, and grab another drink.

The roses would stay outside his door but the notes would come through the mail complimenting certain ties or shirts he’d worn recently, letters sometimes pages long worshiping his body, lists of things Yixing would do to him if he were accepted. These were not as common as the roses though - he only had a stack of around twenty. 

When he’d read them late at night he would convince himself that they only caused a tingling sensation under his skin, a heated curiosity beneath his brow, because of the soju or because he was tired or because he just generally didn’t talk to people these days. Somewhere in the past several months Yixing had become part of his life without physically being there and like the ringing of phones, the script on his tongue, the store-bought meals, the cat hair on his shower shoes, and the acid in his gut: it was starting to get to him. 

***

Sehun braced himself as he approached the hill, fallen leaves crunching under the thin tires of his bicycle as he cursed his out of shape body. He wished he had thought to shove his sweater into his backpack before he took off after school but all that was on his mind now was tickets, tickets, tickets…  _ good _ tickets at the very front. He wanted to check his watch to see if he still had a chance of making it, but as the upward slope turned into a downward one he was afraid that any break in concentration would lead to his imminent death in some ditch on the country road.

He flew past Jaehwan’s apple stand whose dog had started barking the second he began his descent down the hill. Normally he would say hello but not today.

Because today was  _ the day _ .

His grin faltered a little bit when his house came into view because there was an all too familiar car parked out front. He skidded to a stop at the edge of the dirt road and hopped the fence, jumping up all three steps to the porch in one go and flung the door open. 

Seohyun had forgotten. She had  _ forgotten. _ She was supposed to be at the kitchen table waiting with both of their laptops, her tablet, and her phone. He didn’t care if Yunho was in town. This was important!

“NOONA! SEOHYUN NOONA WE ONLY HAVE THIRTY SECONDS I SWEAR I WILL KILL YOU!” The woman in question emerged from the living room with an irritated looking Changmin behind her.

“OH SEHUN. STOP THIS NONSENSE. CAN’T YOU SEE WE HAVE COMPANY OVER?” The force of her voice sent him back a few steps just as the clock back on the mantle started its chime of the hour.

“But… but I  _ told  _ you. The tickets are probably gone by now. There’s only two thousand seats!” Changmin looked between them, also feeling the effects of Seohyun’s sudden rage. She sighed before holding up an envelope.

“From Yunho. Changmin brought them. You should make sure to call and thank him later for always spoiling you rotten.” Sehun’s eyes widened and he turned to Changmin for the confirmation he was looking for before gently taking the envelope from Seohyun’s hands.

“It’s… it’s a ticket… VVIP, early admission, meet and greet…” He could feel his face heating up. He was going to Tao’s first showcase in Busan. He was going to  _ meet  _ Tao, shake his hand, take a picture with him, and even get his autograph. “Changmin hyung, can I hug you right now?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Oh, ok. Thanks anyway.” They stood in the entryway for a few moments before Changmin coughed awkwardly.

“As I was telling Seohyun before you arrived, you’ll once again have someone staying with you for a little bit. Yunho decided he needed some rest.” Changmin stepped to the side giving Sehun a view of the living room and a boy who was standing in it gazing emptily at their newly hung Halloween decorations above the fireplace as the clock’s chimes ended. “Kai, this is Sehun. He’s your age.” The boy named Kai nodded slightly in acknowledgement but didn’t look in their direction. Seohyun looked worried.

“Will he be… working with the others while he’s here?” she asked as the two of them stepped towards the doorway.

“Yes. He made it clear he didn’t want to go to school and sitting around all day doing nothing would be bad for him.” Sehun watched the two of them walk out to the front porch. How could Kai be his age and work for Yunho? That wasn’t fair.

He looked the kid up and down. He wore a black turtleneck and skinny black jeans, hair so blonde it almost looked white sweeping in waves over his tanned forehead.

Sehun stuck his tongue into his cheek. 

Yunho always sent his friends down from Seoul to stay with them. Some stayed longer than others but they were always gone after a month or two. He’d ask them what it was like working with Yunho because someday Sehun would work for him too but Yunho said he had to wait until he was done with high school. So why did Kai get to already work for Yunho if he was probably only seventeen? It definitely wasn’t fair. He sucked in a breath.

“You wanna see your room or…?” Kai picked up what Sehun assumed to be his travel bag from the ground and walked past him up the stairs only stopping to wait at the top.

Sehun was getting annoyed.

At the top of the stairs he reached out for Kai’s hand to take his bag like he always did when anyone related to Yunho came over but the boy jerked away from him violently, hard gaze piercing daggers through his skull.

“Don’t touch me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cracks knuckles*
> 
> Ok act three let's go~~~~
> 
> OTHER STORIES BY UNUSUAL_TABLE
> 
> [Two Minutes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24045196/chapters/57859369): Jongin was born just two minutes after Kai. It took him a long time to realize he didn’t need to spend the rest of his life trying to catch up. [TWINS!AU - CHANKAI, SEKAI]
> 
> [Bound by Silver](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23604130/chapters/56642974): Master had three simple rules for Wolf to follow. The first was to never go beyond the fence. The second was to never speak to lodgers. The third was to never respond to the howl of the Mountain Spirits that could be heard on nights of the full moon. [WOFL!AU - SEKAI, BAEKYEOL, LAYHAN]
> 
> [Ghost Light](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24366250/chapters/58764295): After Junmyeon’s life falls apart, he retreats to his family’s small home near Daegu. Sequestered in his little house on the hill, he soon finds himself acquainted with an odd mailman named Zhang Yixing. [THEATRE!AU - SULAY]


	33. Act III: Chapter II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT III: When Yunho's friends come down from Seoul they usually don't stay for very long but Sehun had a feeling that Kai wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Sehun  
> Scene II - Baekhyun  
> Scene III - Sehun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Sehun stood outside Kai’s door at the end of the hall, toothbrush hanging from his mouth. Seohyun had told him to bring Kai on his weekly Saturday morning run to the market so he could get a sense of the neighborhood. She seemed determined to make them spend time together probably because for once a visitor was his age and Sehun never really hung around other kids.

He raised his fist to knock but hesitated. Sehun was an early riser, had to be because he delivered the morning paper during the week. After going to the market he’d be going through again that afternoon to drop off the useless weekend edition which really only featured bad artwork from the kids at the local elementary school and interviews of people like Jaehwan who really had nothing interesting to say. He looked at his watch. It was just after seven in the morning.

In his experience, Sehun had noticed that their Seoul visitors tended to sleep late most days, especially on weekends, but he wasn’t rearranging his schedule just for a kid who refused to talk to him. Sehun hadn’t seen Kai since he’d shown him his room. He hadn’t come down for dinner and he wasn’t in the kitchen when Sehun was eating his breakfast either. He turned around to go back into the bathroom to finish washing up. Maybe by then Kai would be up and about and it wouldn’t be as awkward to drag him out of the house.

Twenty minutes later he was standing in front of Kai’s door again, fully dressed and ready to go. There was no answer when he knocked so he stuck his face as close to the edge of the door as possible and opened it slightly. The room was empty.

Stepping all the way in he noticed that Kai’s bed looked like it hadn’t been slept in at all. The boy’s duffle bag was on the desk still zipped shut.

“Fine, I’ll just go on my own,” he mumbled to himself.

With a biscuit in his mouth he kicked open the front door with his shoes halfway on, only to see Kai smoking a cigarette with Key by his beat up old car.

“Hyung? What are you doing here?” The man looked up and waved. Kai had no reaction. 

“Just getting acquainted with your new arrival.” 

Key worked in Busan with Donghae and Hyukjae. They were the only people who worked for Yunho who stayed in Busan permanently. Key had originally only come to Busan to stay at Sehun’s house just like Kai was now but ended up never moving back to Seoul. He was always stressed back then but these days he was oddly carefree. He claimed it was because the air was cleaner.

“Are you taking him somewhere?” he asked Key, looking at Kai who threw the cigarette out onto the dirt road. 

“No, we’re just getting back. I’ll be out of your hair in just a second,” he said with a smile, exchanging one glance with Kai before the younger headed back inside. Sehun bit his lip until the other boy was out of earshot. 

“You’re just getting back? I didn’t even see him leave…” 

“That’s because you’re a baby who’s in his room by nine and out cold by ten,” he said with a snicker. Sehun was about to make a rebuttal before he realized what Key said had actually been true.

“So… you talked to him? Kai, I mean?” Key nodded, patting the hood of his car motioning for Sehun to sit.

“Yeah. It was nice to finally meet him since I’ve heard so much. He’s been causing quite the ruckus up in Seoul.”

“The good kind or the bad kind?” Sehun asked, eyes shifting over to look at Kai’s window to see if it was open or not. Key hummed for a few moments in thought.

“Maybe… bad at first, but it got real good real quick.” Sehun frowned.

“Is that why he gets to work for Yunho even though he’s no older than me? I almost didn’t believe it. It’s not fair at all!” Sehun felt Key’s hand ruffling the top of his head before he received a light whack.

“Be patient. You’re not missing much.” As if on cue the horse a man was riding in the field across from their house took a giant shit. Sehun groaned.

“I’m missing  _ everything _ . There’s nothing here. You hardly ever let me hang out with you and the others downtown yet you take Kai for a joyride when he hasn’t even been here for a full day!”

“It’s better that way. If anything happens to you, Yunho and his legion of demons will have my head,” he said, nudging Sehun to stand up and opening the car door. “Just keep doing what you’re doing and enjoy this time while it lasts. All of this isn’t as fun as you think it is.”

With no more room to protest and disgustingly behind schedule, Sehun hopped onto his bike as Key drove away only looking back once at the closed curtains over Kai’s window before he set off down the road in the opposite direction. 

***

People often find comfort in home. That’s why, Baekhyun reasoned, Taeyeon found comfort in him. But Taeyeon still didn’t like where she came from. She wasn’t shy about stating how embarrassed she was about where she went to high school. That didn’t matter though because whatever act she put on in front of all her new friends could be dropped with him. Being that person for her made him feel good.

Taeyeon looked pleased as they were seated at a quaint restaurant in Gangnam. Most of their dates were in this area as it was far enough away from Yonsei that the chances of them running into anyone Taeyeon knew were slim. This was a restaurant she had mentioned in passing once and Baekhyun had been budgeting for weeks to ensure he could make it happen.

Still, he could feel himself start to sweat as he looked over the prices of the items on the menu, remembering Taeyeon had mentioned something about not having eaten breakfast that morning. But maybe she wouldn’t choose anything that big because she kept talking about dieting and had developed a recent fascination with health regiments. He was banking on her getting a salad.

“I’ll have the…,” she said flipping the menu over once again when they had the attention of a server, “the steak with the salad, please.” Baekhyun’s grip on his own menu faltered and he tried to react quickly to grab it before it fell on the table but ended up slamming it down instead causing the whole thing to rattle. Taeyeon got that look on her face again, the blank kind she made whenever Baekhyun embarrassed them in public. 

“I-I’ll just have whatever the soup of the day is,” he said with a smile that he hoped wasn’t too lopsided. 

“Baekhyun, aren’t you going to order the wine?”

“Wine?” He didn’t know people ordered wine with lunch. “Oh yes, of course. Wine. White?”

“Red.”

“Ok. We’ll take whatever you recommend for the wine… red wine. As long as it’s red.” The server gave him a pitying smile before walking away.

“I’m impressed you actually managed to get a reservation here. Good job,” Taeyeon said causing him to blush. 

“I’m glad you like it. I really wanted this day to be special.” He turned around in his chair and reached into his jacket pocket bringing out a small box wrapped with a golden bow. “Happy one hundred day anniversary, Taeyeon noona.” Baekhyun’s stomach did a few tumbles, the good kind, when she smiled. Inside was a silver necklace with a sunflower pendant. 

“Where did you get this?” The question caught Baekhyun off guard. 

“The mall.”

“Which store?”

“It was one of the kiosks… I forget the name.” She nodded slowly.

“Interesting.” With a sigh she put it back in the box and handed it to Baekhyun. “Keep it in your pocket until we leave.” 

Between Taeyeon’s busy schedule and Baekhyun juggling two jobs and capitalizing on the library access Kyungsoo’s student ID could get him on occasion, he did not expect her to seek him out. She admitted it was because of the headlines she’d seen in the paper about what happened to Chanyeol and the general uptick in violence in the corner of Seoul she’d grown up in. She had just gone through a breakup as well and was more upset about it than she let on. For all the friends she claimed to have, Baekhyun had yet to hear her mention any by name. 

He almost didn’t believe it when Kyungsoo told him they’d run into each other on campus. He gave him her number and soon after that they started talking. Meeting up to walk through the city together had been the first time since Chanyeol disappeared that he’d felt so alive. For once he thought he could move on, keep with his plan, and achieve the things he set his mind to. It took awhile for Taeyeon to agree to be his girlfriend, but the night they became official she had shoved him against a lamp post and almost sucked off his entire face, the bitter taste of alcohol on her tongue turning him rigid, making his mind travel to an unpleasant place. But he was determined to satisfy her. He focused on her pleasure with his eyes closed tight.

Like Taeyeon, Baekhyun tried his best to not think about high school or where he came from. Everything he ever wanted was within reach now and he wanted it to stay that way. His mother had finally settled down in a new apartment in a new neighborhood, a boyfriend who lived nearby who looked intimidating but was sweet. It was nice seeing her happy. He lived off campus with Kyungsoo in a rooftop apartment. Both of them had two jobs, one working at the same cafe with each other with Kyungsoo also picking up a work-study role at the library and Baekhyun taking evening janitorial shifts also at the university. What little that didn’t go back to his mother or to paying rent funded the occasional weekend outing but after this date it would be a long time before he’d be able to spend money on anything that wasn’t essential. The necklace alone had been pushing it.

“I’m going on a retreat with my department next week. I just realized I forgot to tell you.” Baekhyun looked up from his empty soup bowl. He had zoned out slightly.

“Oh? Where?”

“Jeju.”

“That's really cool! I hope you have a great time.” The server came over to drop off the bill just as Taeyeon scrolled through her phone, a small smile on her face.

“Make sure you don’t call or text while I’m there,” she said. “I don’t need people asking questions.”

***

“Go talk to Kai.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s standing out there doing nothing and you’re in here doing nothing.” Sehun turned to look out the window.

“He’s smoking and I’m talking to you.”

“I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Then I’ll go do something else.”

“No, you’re going to go talk to Kai.”

“Why?”

“Because I told you to.” They entered a lengthy staring contest before Seohyun threw a piece of chocolate from the coffee table at his face. “Compare likes and dislikes. You might have a lot in common. Maybe he likes that Chinese boy you’ve started to worship.”

“I don’t  _ worship  _ him. I’m just part of the official fanclub.” She smirked. He didn’t move.

“Fine, go tell him you’re doing the laundry tomorrow and you put a basket outside his door.”

“I am? I did?”

“You are now.”

By the time Sehun had gone out back to get the basket to put by Kai’s door and walked out front to cross the street, the other boy was lighting up another cigarette, facing away from him and looking across the field. When Sehun stood beside him he didn’t acknowledge his arrival, but Sehun knew the other boy noticed. The pile of horse poop was still there from earlier. Kai didn’t seem to mind.

“Uh… hey.” No answer. “It’s laundry day tomorrow so… I put a basket outside your room? You know, for like, dirty clothes and stuff… but I just realized this is only your second day so you probably don’t have much. I mean you can still wash the stuff you have… I mean  _ I  _ can still wash the stuff you have. Yeah. The basket’s there.” Kai exhaled.

“Ok.” It was silent again. Sehun hadn’t planned an exit strategy. Maybe he could just walk away but he didn’t because he had no self control.

“So you work for Yunho?” No answer. “It must be cool getting to be in Seoul… Yunho is really amazing. You’re lucky. Someday I’m gonna move there too so don’t be surprised when I show up and everybody likes me.” He laughed a bit nervously and looked at his feet, hand reaching up to scratch the back of his head. “Or at least I hope they will. They like me here at least.” He jumped a bit when he realized Kai had turned his head to stare at him, dark eyes unmoving before turning around abruptly to walk down the street. Sehun looked after him for a moment before following to trail behind him.

“Hey! Where are you going? Everything is closed this late… and there’s no shops that way!” He expected Kai to shout at him to stop following along but he didn’t.

They walked quite a distance past fields and sheds and other small homes. It wasn’t until they reached the edge of an orchard that Kai stopped to look at a family of foxes darting across the path a little ways down for them. Sehun stopped by his side and noticed his hand shaking, gripping yet another cigarette.

“Are you cold?”

“I’m always cold.”

“Oh. Cool. I mean, you should get a coat… or at least some gloves.” No answer. Sehun yawned and looked at his watch. It was getting close to nine at night. “I’m gonna head back now. You can do whatever you want. None of this property is ours so stay on the path. Watch out for animals too.” Sehun rubbed his heel into the dirt for a few moments before realizing that Kai probably, again, wasn’t going to say anything.

“You’re Sehun, right?” He almost tripped. 

“What? Yeah. Oh Sehun.” Kai nodded in thought.

“Thanks in advance… for the laundry.” Sehun stood with a dumb expression on his face, glad that Kai wasn’t actually looking at him, and shook his head before turning to head back. He should’ve been in bed by now.


	34. Act III: Chapter III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT III: When Yunho's friends come down from Seoul they usually don't stay for very long but Sehun had a feeling that Kai wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Jongdae  
> Scene II - Kyungsoo  
> Scene III - Sehun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Chen grinned when the man in front of him practically got stars in his eyes, relaxing into the couch and belching loudly. He had to applaud the lanky boy nuzzling the man’s neck and the other boy lazing between the man’s knees for not so much as flinching. Victoria really did only hire professionals and that’s part of the reason why Chen liked to do business here. Everything was clean and regulated. The customers also always had some extra cash to spend. And most importantly Victoria made sure to teach him all the things Luhan didn’t.

“So what’s it gonna be? Wanna buy?”

“You always do this to me, Chen. Always getting me the best stuff.” He wheezed. “What is this anyway?”

“That’s for me to know and you to not worry about. I’ll convene with your secretary?” 

“Yeah, yeah. Stick around tonight? You’re positively glowing today,” he said no doubt eyeing the gold chain around his neck and his chest bare aside from his open black vest. One of the boys turned slightly to glare at Chen. They hated it when he cut into their tip.

“No, not tonight. I’m a busy man. You’ll have to ask Victoria when I’m available.” The man frowned.

“Oh… too bad… at least sing me a song? Please, baby?” The offer was tempting but just then there was a knock on the door and Victoria walked in before anyone got a chance to answer. She was like that. But she also owned the place.

“Chen, there you are. Yixing’s looking for you and he’s creeping out the people in the lounge so hurry up.” 

“Shit…” he muttered to himself while picking up his pace.

Chen had been sharing a room with Yixing for the longest time. They lived together in the Super Junior’s annex for two months. At Luhan’s suggestion, Chen and Yixing got an apartment together entirely because Luhan’s suggestions could be considered orders from Yifan. Last week marked six months since their move. Six months of having to squeeze his yogurt next to whatever strange things Yixing had floating around in jars in the fridge.

Considering Yixing’s current status and background, he really was awkward in the nightlife setting. None of his suits were tailored, or rather, they were all tailored to be just a bit too big, and he generally always smelled like frogs. Chen still couldn’t figure out why. So when he saw Yixing on one of the large couches surrounded by an array of different young men and women, Chen thought it was quite humorous. Yixing’s glare sharpened at the sound of his laugh.

“Buddy! Nice to see you out on the town. Should I be telling anyone here they’re eating their last meal? Fucking their last fuck?”

“You went into my room,” Yixing said flatly.

“Oh?”

“You touched my things.”

“Did I?” Yixing stood up abruptly causing a girl to shriek as she tumbled to the floor. The others quickly dispersed. 

“Yes,” he said getting right up in his face, “my pillow was three centimeters off center. Why were you on my bed? I told you not to touch my things.” 

By this point as far as he was concerned, he didn’t have to fear Yixing. Despite all of their arguments, Chen could almost consider him a friend and was reasonably certain the elder wouldn’t stab him in the middle of the night. In all the ways his life had changed since he traded his old life for this new one, Yixing was almost a comfort. 

“I was looking for a gun.” Yixing raised an eyebrow.

“You already have one.”

“Yes, a tiny one. I need a bigger one.” Yixing waited for him to continue. “I want to expand my area, my territory. I could push at a lot more places than this. I figured if I learned how to handle bigger machinery then I could convince Zhoumi that I can handle more turf.”

“So your logic was bigger gun, bigger territory, and you wanted to test this theory by sneaking into my room and stealing a firearm that you don’t know how to use?” Chen blinked for a moment, trying to keep up with the odd mixture of Mandarin and Korean coming from Yixing’s mouth.

“Well yeah. Pretty much.” Yixing sighed.

“I didn’t know it was possible for someone to be so stupid.”

“Aw… don’t say that Xing. I get you’re pissed but you wouldn’t have come all the way down here if you didn’t want something else.” At that, a dust of red spread over the elder’s face as he stepped away, back straightening.

“It seems that the object of my affections still fails to acknowledge me through my strategically distributed offerings,” he said just as stiff as ever. Chen put his hands on his hips and whistled. 

“Maybe that’s because your gifts are boring as shit.” Yixing shook his head.

“But a red rose is a sign of the heart, a sign of love and desire.” Chen thought for a second, looking around the lounge for inspiration. 

“No. I mean, yes, kind of. But you need something more shocking, something more sexy, something more expensive. Like, look over there, above the bar. Stone carvings of scorpions. Now  _ scorpions  _ are sexy, predatory, and mysterious. That’s what you want to be. That’s the reason this place is called Scorpion. You need to find something that will make you alluring, not just let him know that you obsess over him endlessly. It makes you look desperate.” 

Yixing stared at him like he had revealed one of the universe’s hidden secrets. This was only one of the many reasons Yixing needed him. At times like this, Chen was far more positive he wouldn’t get stabbed in his sleep.

***

Kyungsoo looked up from his desk when Baekhyun walked in, box of doughnuts in hand.

“Are those from Sunny’s?” he asked. Baekhyun put the box on the window ledge between their beds before moving to lay down.

“Yeah.”

“You walked all the way there?”

“Yeah. You were on the phone for a long time,” he said and Kyungsoo turned back to his computer. He had to write a ten page essay for a literature class he had no interest in, but it was part of the core curriculum. He thought that at least the class was relaxing because they got to sit around a nice wooden table that overlooked one of the quads for their breakout sessions. The professor was also very nice, he just had no interest in reading historical novels. 

“Joy really wants to talk to you. We’d both appreciate it if you wouldn’t vanish whenever she calls.” Kyungsoo bit his tongue in surprise, not really planning to say what he just said. He had tried to nudge the topic with Baekhyun before but he seemed determined to avoid it. He didn’t want Baekhyun to be mad at him, so he scrambled for something to add. “I mean, it would just be nice if you had better timing…”

“I don’t want to talk to her, alright? She’s a reminder of things I don’t want to think about.” Kyungsoo saved his document and turned his chair around. Baekhyun was facing up in bed playing with his phone.

“And I don’t remind you of them?”

“No. You weren’t around before.” 

“You’ve never… you’ve never really talked about it. I mean, he was your friend and you saw him when he was… like that. You never cried, even at the funeral, and now you won’t even talk to his sister. She misses you, she wants to see you.” Baekhyun turned to face the wall, putting his back to Kyungsoo. “Think of it this way. Think of how much better you felt when you told me about what happened with Jongdae. It’s bad to keep things bottled up. Joy… she’s been having some troubles at school. The kids in her section make fun of her because she’s good at math and science and likes to build robots and rockets. I told her that maybe you guys could talk about it together… since-” 

“You seem to have it under control. It’s best if you just talk to her. She likes you.” Kyungsoo leaned back in his chair and tucked his knees up to his chest. 

“Aren’t you even curious about what happened to Jongin?” Baekhyun stayed silent for a long time.

“I like to think he’s dead.” 

***

Sehun’s eyes opened slowly, a cold breeze sweeping across his face and exposed shoulders. He had a habit of leaving his window slightly open while he slept but now it was getting to the time of year when it was a war between his desire to have the sounds of the night lull him to sleep and not catching a cold. He sat up and bent over to grab the extra blanket at the end of his bed that Seohyun had thankfully put out two weeks prior, and tucked it up to his chin, relaxing to the sound of the heavy rain.

Rain.

The laundry.

He groaned, furiously kicking his mattress until he pulled himself together enough to roll out of bed, grabbing his jacket and a pair of dirty flip flops. It was still dark outside, probably a little after three in the morning, and the view from the back porch was beautiful even with the rain. After Sehun rushed to take down the clothes and linens off of the lines and shoved them all into one basket, he took a moment to look up into the sky. Many of the stars were blocked by the clouds tonight, but the overall effect was nice.

Once back inside he debated laying out the clothes to dry now or just going back to bed because he was wet, sleepy, and cold. The angry wakeup call he’d probably get from Seohyun if he just left the clothes there, however, made him lay them out around the living room and over the stair banister. He chuckled to himself when he held a pair of Kai’s boxers, oddly whimsical with tiny cartoon monkeys. He imagined one of Kai’s girlfriends giving it to him. That’s the only way he could imagine the cranky boy keeping such a thing.

After he washed off his feet with a towel he closed the window and hopped back into bed but groaned when he felt the urge to pee. He then spent a good ten minutes trying to determine if he  _ actually  _ had to pee or if he could hold it until morning. Several more minutes passed and Sehun cursed the drainpipe outside his window adding to the soundtrack of his decision because now he seriously had to pee.

Shuffling towards the bathroom he wanted to bang his head against the nearest wall when he saw the light was on and the door was locked. He knocked quietly since Kai’s room was the next door over.

“Noona… noona, hurry up I really have to go.” He stepped back when he heard the faucet turn on, bouncing up and down on his toes a little bit before squeezing his legs tighter. Maybe he could just piss in the backyard, be one with nature and all that. The thought of being back out in the rain made him stay put.

“Noona, are you constipated again? Do you need medicine?” He waited a few more moments, about to just tough it out and go back to bed when he heard a loud crash from inside the bathroom.

“Noona!” He knocked on the door louder this time, trying to turn the handle. “Noona are you ok?” He started to panic when there was no answer so he sprinted downstairs to the kitchen to grab the keys, frustration growing as he started to test each one. When the second to last key he tried fit into the lock he flung the door open, heart stopping when he saw Kai on the floor, edge of the door pressing into his calf.

There was a broken mirror and a broken bottle of whisky spilling across the white tiles, an empty medicine bottle resting, uncapped, in the sink.

He bent down to turn Kai over, hands grabbing his face.

“Kai… Kai wake up you’re scaring me.” He slapped his cheek before yelling. “SEOHYUN NOONA! SEOHYUN! I NEED HELP I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO! NOONA!” Tears started falling when he heard the door at the opposite end of the hall open, and soon Seohyun was in the bathroom pulling Sehun away.

“Sehun, honey go downstairs and call the ambulance.” Her calm voice made the world spin a little less, but Sehun still stood there like a deer in headlights as she propped Kai over the toilet, hand reaching down his throat. “Sehun!” 

He looked up from Kai to Seohyun, finally registering what she was saying. He saw what he thought to be Kai’s phone on the edge of the sink and grabbed it before going into the hallway, scene from the bathroom flashing in his mind.

Curling to the floor he pulled up Kai’s phone to dial but for the first time he noticed a long sound file was playing as the screen lit up.

“ _ This is Cha-Cha-Chanyeoool leave a message!... This is Cha-Cha-Chanyeoool leave a message!... This is Cha-Cha-Chanyeoool- _ ” he pressed pause, closing the program and dialed, voice shaking when he was trying to explain what was happening because he couldn’t quite comprehend it himself.

“SEHUN!” He jolted up and went back to the bathroom door. “Sehun… Sehun, help me carry him downstairs.” He threw the phone aside, grabbing the lower half of Kai’s body. There was vomit on his face and around the edge of the toilet behind them.

Seohyun went with the ambulance as they took Kai away telling Sehun to not worry about the mess and try to get some sleep but all he could do was sit on the porch, chest aching and crying loudly with the rain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OTHER STORIES BY UNUSUAL_TABLE
> 
> [Two Minutes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24045196/chapters/57859369): Jongin was born just two minutes after Kai. It took him a long time to realize he didn’t need to spend the rest of his life trying to catch up. [TWINS!AU - CHANKAI, SEKAI]
> 
> [Bound by Silver](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23604130/chapters/56642974): Master had three simple rules for Wolf to follow. The first was to never go beyond the fence. The second was to never speak to lodgers. The third was to never respond to the howl of the Mountain Spirits that could be heard on nights of the full moon. [WOLF!AU - SEKAI, BAEKYEOL, LAYHAN]
> 
> [Ghost Light](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24366250/chapters/58764295): After Junmyeon’s life falls apart, he retreats to his family’s small home near Daegu. Sequestered in his little house on the hill, he soon finds himself acquainted with an odd mailman named Zhang Yixing. [THEATRE!AU - SULAY]


	35. Act III: Chapter IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT III: When Yunho's friends come down from Seoul they usually don't stay for very long but Sehun had a feeling that Kai wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Sehun  
> Scene II - Sehun  
> Scene III - Yifan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Kai looked a lot smaller sleeping in a hospital bed. His platinum blonde hair fell in wisps over his brow and tickled the top of sunken cheeks above a thin neck usually covered by his turtlenecks wrapped with fading bruises. The insides of his wrists and forearms were littered with gashes of angry red and raised scars of caramel and white. Sehun found himself wanting to see the boy’s eyes, the deep pools that stared at him sometimes like they were taunting him, daring him to try and come closer, but they wouldn’t open.

Seohyun rubbed circles on his back mostly because he’d been crying on and off all morning without knowing why. He didn’t know Kai, wasn’t friends with him, had only exchanged maybe three sentences at best, but right now the only thing he wanted was to be able to talk to Kai again and for him to get better.

“I just… I don’t understand. Why would he do that? Why would  _ anyone _ do that?”

“I’m sorry you had to see it.” Sehun flinched away from the soft fingers, standing up from his chair to stand by the window.

“Is that all you have to say? You’re sorry that I had to see? You should be sorry he almost died! He tried to kill himself! We’re… we’re the same age… and what if I hadn’t had to go to the bathroom? He could’ve died in there, alone, without anybody knowing. It… would’ve been my fault. It probably  _ is _ my fault. He’s been acting strange since the day he got here. I should’ve known…” Sehun didn’t move away when arms wrapped around him again. Seohyun was shorter than him but Sehun would always feel like a child when she was around. He hated it sometimes. 

“Sehun, if you keep shouting I’m going to have to send you home.” Seohyun looked up and sighed when the door clicked as it opened.

“Key… what are you doing here?”

“Do I need a reason?” Sehun rubbed his eyes before turning around, Key frowning as their eyes met. “The better question is, what is Sehun doing here? You should go home, get some rest. This isn’t a good environment for you.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked but Key ignored him and turned to Seohyun.

“Seohyun, can you take him home? Now, preferably? We have guests coming.” Sehun clenched his fists.

“Hey! Why are you talking to her? I asked you a question!” Key folded his arms over his chest.

“You’re being a brat, Sehun. None of this concerns you. Seohyun shouldn’t have brought you here in the first place.” 

“But I’m the one who found him! Did you really just think I’d be content sitting around the house not knowing what was happening to him?”

“What happens to him is none of your business.”

“Oh, so is it yours?”

“Yes, actually,  _ it is _ .” Sehun jumped when the door to the private ward was opened once again, slamming into the wall. His anger turned to confusion as an older man stormed in. Before he could ask any more questions, Key’s hand was on his back forcing him into a deep bow. He could see both Key and Seohyun copying the position on either side of him. Sehun could only see the man’s feet as he wandered over to Kai’s bed.

“He’s not awake yet?”

“No Boss, not yet,” Key said. Sehun lifted his head up a little bit to get a better look at the man. He was only a little bit taller than average but the hard features of his face made his presence bigger and overbearing. He looked to be somewhere in his late forties or fifties. 

“Well, have any of you geniuses tried to wake him up?” Key’s mouth opened as if to say something but before he got a chance the man grabbed Kai by the front of his hospital gown, a loud slap resounding in the air as Kai groaned.

“Hey!” Sehun shouted walking forward, “what do you think you’re-” but he was pulled back by Seohyun, head forced down again.

“I’m so sorry Mr. Kim. This is the child. I’m afraid he doesn’t know any better.” There was a long pause.

“Is that so? Let him go. Let me see his face.” The pressure left his back and Sehun looked up with the biggest glare he could muster. The man - Mr. Kim - had let go of Kai who was now awake, eyes unfocused as he tried to fold himself up into a ball. “That’s no child. He looks just about ready to serve in the army.” 

The man’s eyes slowly drifted over his body. A strangled sound Kai released, however, redirected his focus and the next second Kai had been dragged off the bed and thrown to the floor, skin making an unpleasant noise against the hard tile. If Sehun hadn’t already been so angry he would’ve been too shocked to move from witnessing the violent act, but instead he lunged forward pushing Mr. Kim against the chest away from Kai.

“STOP IT!” he shouted, voice shaking slightly as he did so. The man stared at him, eyes narrowing. Nobody else in the room moved except for Kai who was starting to breath heavily against the floor. He tried to look the man in the eye, but his chest had been like stone and his eyes made Sehun uncomfortable in his own skin.

“We’ll chat later.” With a small movement of his head, Key was hurriedly pushing him out the door, Seohyun exiting with him as the door was slammed shut again only leaving Key, Mr. Kim, and Kai inside.

The ride back home was silent and as soon as they walked in the door Sehun was told to go to his room. Without meaning to, soon he was crying again, not out of sadness but out of frustration. He had never seen an adult act that way, never seen anyone act so violently at all, and throughout it all Key and Seohyun looked at him like he was in the wrong. What was wrong with visiting a sick person in the hospital? What was wrong with trying to defend someone who was defenseless? He had tried to help Kai but now he was being punished for it and still every time he closed his eyes all he could see was what he had walked in on the night before playing over and over and over again.

***

It wasn’t until the sun had set that Sehun heard other people entering the house. Still he didn’t move from the cocoon he had made for himself in his bed. Seohyun had brought him lunch hours ago but it sat cold and untouched on his desk. Sehun couldn’t recall a time when he had ignored Seohyun for so long. He could hardly be called rebellious even during his preteen years and even if Seohyun said or made him do things that made him angry, he’d still carry out the task or accept the words with only a little bit more attitude than necessary. When he heard his door being opened he tucked his face further into the sheets.

“Go away noona, I’m tired.”

“Don’t be like that, I’m here for our little chat.” Sehun froze and accidentally bit his tongue. After taking several deep breaths he sat up and threw his sheets to the side, glaring at Mr. Kim who now stood in the middle of the room looking much calmer than earlier but still intimidating.

“What do you want?”

“Nothing,” he said, pulling up the chair from his desk to the side of the bed. “I just thought this would be a good time for us to get acquainted. Before I was very busy and we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. My name is Kim Youngmin. I’ve come down from Seoul to inspect some things but heard upon arrival that Kai had done something very bad. You can see why I was so angry but I was also really worried about him.” Sehun bit his lip and shook his head.

“It may have been bad, but the way you treated him was worse. If you were worried, you should’ve helped him.” Youngmin smiled.

“I can see you don’t quite understand but that’s ok. Seohyun was right, you _are_ still young. You’ve met Yunho though?”

“You… you work for Yunho too?” he asked, head lifting up a little bit. The man laughed.

“I’m sure he’d like it that way but no. Yunho works for me.” Sehun’s eyes widened. He didn’t like Mr. Kim but he never knew Yunho worked for anybody.

“Oh…” 

“And Yunho has been telling me for years that a boy named Sehun has been living in Busan who is a great candidate for working in our company.” Sehun’s face heated up a bit.

“He talks about me?”

“All the time. But as you know, we can’t really hire you until you finish high school, or that’s what Yunho is adamant about. But today you were very brave. Not many people challenge me when I’m angry. It makes me want to hire you now. Have you ever been to Seoul?” Sehun shook his head. “I’m sure you’d like it. Our company has been having some troubles lately and we really need young, fresh minds to help us along. I’ll make sure to tell Yunho how well you’re doing and see if we can get you up any sooner. If anything we can enroll you in a high school there until you finish. I bet this small town can get boring after a while.”

“You… you can really do that?”

“Of course, it’s not that hard.” Sehun felt the corners of his mouth lift slightly as Youngmin stood up. “I’ll be leaving now. I have an important meeting in the city and have to go back to Seoul tomorrow. But I am truly sorry about Kai and hope he gets better soon. I told him as much after you left.” Sehun nodded hesitantly and bowed as the man left but after a few minutes his initial uneasiness was back. He fell asleep more confused than he had been before but dreamt of Seoul, freedom, and adventure.

***

“We’ve managed to squeeze Phantom out of the business of luxury entertainment. Their one hotel and casino is now under our control as well as their newest and most successful brothel, Scorpion. Where we lose out is in the business of weaponry, which Phantom operates out of Busan using their connections with Japan. They’re of decent quality but cheap. They sell to anyone and make significant profits through underground markets in Seoul. As far as drug trafficking goes, Phantom owns most of the low quality nightclubs in the city. Their product is also low quality and in turn appeals to the lowest common denominator of our buyers. Because of this, their sales sometimes surpass ours even though we sell to more exclusive customers at higher prices.” Yifan nodded in consideration of Hangeng’s words, Siwon looking quite proud sitting next to him as he rattled off the highlights of the report.

“I make enough off of weapons through my Chinese partner but heavy trade between Korea and Japan is disruptive to my own investments. Have you begun to enter into talks with Phantom’s Japanese connection?” he asked. 

“No… Sapphire has never had an interest in expanding to Japan,” Hangeng said. Yifan leaned back at that in his chair and pinched his nose.

“You alway seem to think that I care about Sapphire’s operations,” he said.

“With all due respect, Hangeng and I are leading this takeover. Your strategic opinions are kept in mind but are not necessarily to be followed,” Siwon interjected, having half the mind to look offended. Yifan let his pen roll out of his fingers and onto the table.

“You seem to forget that I am the one funding all of this. Without me you are a washed up street gang running around like rabid dogs. It is in my interest to eliminate Phantom as they are the only significant competitor I have in South Korea. It is my goal for them to be eliminated, not to acquire all of their property or scramble to get higher sales than them. I do not want them to exist, so until then all of your little reports are background noise to me and the closer I get to deciding to find someone else. Hangeng recommended you yet you have failed to show any results or initiative thus far.” Siwon straightened his tie and scowled. 

“Your little whore seems to think this is funny,” he said, glaring at a spot above Yifan’s shoulder. He didn’t need to turn around, already knowing Luhan was standing against the wall.

“Luhan has a better mind for business than you ever will, Siwon, and he’s never even seen the inside of a school in his life.” Siwon gritted his teeth at that and Yifan could only imagine the expression on Luhan’s face behind him. “I have reviewed all of Phantom’s assets thoroughly and while I will keep the business you’ve taken from them up to this point and will allow you to follow through with whatever you have in the works currently, I want everything else to be eliminated. Burn it down, blow it up, delete it, chop it up and throw it in the river, it doesn’t matter to me.” Hangeng cleared his throat.

“Please remember that we do have an ongoing allegiance with Youngmin. We partnered together on the Jung killing as a show of good faith that he would gain something from this as well. Wiping Phantom off the map would be a betrayal.”

“You entered into that agreement without my knowledge yet used my men to carry it out. Whatever groundless promises you made will have to be broken. I want Phantom gone and Youngmin controls Phantom. He’s already dead to me.” Yifan flipped through some of the papers in front of him momentarily, stopping on a page with a tiny note attached to it. “There is one asset, however, that I’m interested in. I’ve already put one of my best men on it and you are not to interfere.” Sliding the file across the table to stop in front of Siwon, the older man glanced at it and shrugged seemingly without even reading it.

“Whatever you want. Keep it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OTHER STORIES BY UNUSUAL_TABLE
> 
> [Two Minutes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24045196/chapters/57859369): Jongin was born just two minutes after Kai. It took him a long time to realize he didn’t need to spend the rest of his life trying to catch up. [TWINS!AU - CHANKAI, SEKAI]
> 
> [Bound by Silver](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23604130/chapters/56642974): Master had three simple rules for Wolf to follow. The first was to never go beyond the fence. The second was to never speak to lodgers. The third was to never respond to the howl of the Mountain Spirits that could be heard on nights of the full moon. [WOLF!AU - SEKAI, BAEKYEOL, LAYHAN]
> 
> [Ghost Light](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24366250/chapters/58764295): After Junmyeon’s life falls apart, he retreats to his family’s small home near Daegu. Sequestered in his little house on the hill, he soon finds himself acquainted with an odd mailman named Zhang Yixing. [THEATRE!AU - SULAY]


	36. Act III: Chapter V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT III: When Yunho's friends come down from Seoul they usually don't stay for very long but Sehun had a feeling that Kai wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Baekhyun  
> Scene II - Sehun  
> Scene III - Junmyeon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Baekhyun winced as hot coffee spilled over the edge of the cup and onto his hand.

“Hey! Watch it with my coffee! Dumb kids…” He bowed in apology, refilling it up to the brim before handing it over the counter. The man shot him a nasty look as he walked away and Baekhyun ran a hand through his hair and leaned against the counter.

“What a dick,” Kyungsoo said from the register, “but you seem kind of distracted today. Anything going on?”

“His queen is coming back from Jeju,” Sunny said grinning around a lollipop, “and I bet he’s busy trying to figure out what to get her for a welcome home gift and he’s stressing about it because he forgot she was coming back today and doesn’t have the time or the green to get her something fancy.” Baekhyun groaned.

“Someone on the cleaning has been out because all three of her kids came down with something nasty and I've been covering her duties. I honestly haven’t even had time to think about Taeyeon.” 

“Doesn’t that mean you have some extra money on hand then?” Sunny asked. Baekhyun shook his head.

“Technically yes, but I’ve been giving her the money anyway. She’s the only one taking care of those kids. I know how tight things can get when no money comes in for a week.” Sunny whistled, obviously impressed, but Kyungsoo didn’t say anything. He knew what the situation had been like and they had already argued one too many times about Taeyeon before.

“I just don’t see why you need to buy her something. She’s only been gone for a week,” Kyungsoo said anyway causing Sunny to look at him in exaggerated shock. 

“Seriously, Soo? You live with him and you don’t know? Taeyeon _always_ needs a gift. I swear she has some childhood trauma that turned her into a twisted demon.”

“She’s not a demon,” Baekhyun almost whispered. “She just likes to feel like she’s loved.”

“Yeah, by sucking you dry! She doesn’t deserve you.”

Baekhyun decided to try to ignore what was being said as Sunny began to tell Kyungsoo an exaggerated version of all the things Taeyeon has asked for. It wasn’t really that bad. He liked making Taeyeon happy. He liked making _anyone_ happy.

At the end of his shift he settled on just getting her one of the gourmet cupcakes with a cute pumpkin drawn out in icing on the top that they already had at the Sunnyside Cafe. There was a low fat version but the last time he tried that, Taeyeon ignored him for three days because she thought Baekhyun was trying to tell her that she had gained weight. Now he knew to only get her health-conscious food when she asked for it.

It was getting a bit chilly out these days but Baekhyun was excited for Halloween. A bunch of Yonsei students were organizing a party at Club El Dorado and Taeyeon surprisingly asked him to come. Perhaps after all these months she wasn’t as embarrassed by him since she knew how hard he worked. At a nightclub he didn’t expect to actually speak to anyone. If so, he could just pretend like he went to some other school. But it was something to look forward to, something to anticipate other than bags of coffee beans and mopping the classrooms he’d dreamed of studying in almost his entire life. There was a chance that at the party he could make new friends… or at least acquaintances. Someone who didn’t know anything about him. 

Even though Halloween was still a week away, Baekhyun was already wearing his favorite orange sweater with a black cat on it. He loved being festive. When he was walking up the street to her apartment he congratulated himself on perfect timing when he saw Taeyeon getting out of a cab but stopped in his tracks when a man came out after her, wrapping his arms around her waist as they kissed heatedly until the taxi started honking. She stepped away from him with a deep blush as he gave her one final peck as a goodbye. The man was tall and muscular, had a nice, chiseled face, and wore clothes that looked like they cost a fortune, the kind rich kids wore in dramas.

Baekhyun stood with his cupcake feeling like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on him. He didn’t want to cry so he blinked and shook his head a little bit before walking up to Taeyeon who was still looking the direction the taxi went. 

“Taeyeon noona, how was your trip?” She turned around like she was surprised to see Baekhyun there.

“Good. Fantastic, actually. I’m so happy you came to see me.” Her smile was just as beautiful as ever.

“Do you need help getting your suitcase up the stairs?”

“Yes, and do please hurry up. I don’t want to be seen outside with you in that hideous sweater.” He smiled, balancing the cupcake box in one hand and grabbing the suitcase with the other.

“I’m sorry, you know I’m bad when it comes to fashion.”

Baekhyun still felt stiff when they entered the apartment. Taeyeon loved the cupcake saying she had never heard of the Sunnyside Cafe even though that was where he’d been working since he moved away from home. Surprisingly he got a kiss as a reward but when Taeyeon tried to deepen it he couldn’t will himself to go along with it. She pulled away.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Oh… nothing… just a little stressed.” She scoffed.

“Stressed about what? Cleaning toilets? Please don’t even start with that. Just wait until you start classes next year. Then you’ll have something to be stressed about.” She grabbed for him again but he stepped away.

“Do you want to unpack first?” he asked, hoping it would slow things down enough for his heart to stop lurching uncomfortably. Taeyeon blinked in confusion.

“Look, Baek, if you’re not in the mood you just had to say so,” she said but kept walking back towards her bed anyway pulling down her skirt. “But I’m too worked up right now. Can’t you use your mouth?”

Baekhyun watched her fall to the sheets as she usually did, becoming him over. He followed, of course. This is how he usually satisfied her. It was still difficult for him to have sex. More often than not it was an out of body experience. But Taeyeon was very beautiful and very intelligent and at this point she still wanted him, was still asking for him. 

He could never fall to his knees without thinking of the night he got his restaurant delivery job in high school or the sprinkling of other nights that followed even though his boss there had promised he’d only have to do this once. He could never feel Taeyeon’s fingers in his hair without thinking of that man and how large his hands had been. Sometimes he thought of Jongdae too. But only sometimes. At the very least, he loved Taeyeon. At the very least, Taeyeon loved his tongue.

***

Sehun carefully looked over the options in his school’s mini-mart weighing a few bills in his palm. Kai was supposed to come home from the hospital today and he thought of getting him something as a welcome home gift even before Seohyun suggested it. It had to be something that would make him happy. Eventually he came upon a wrapped brownie with M&M’s on top and smiled when he thought how good it would taste with bubble tea.

“Oh. Se. Hun. I have been looking _everywhere_ for yooou!” He scrunched up his nose as Yerim, president of their school’s art club, practically jumped on his back. “Getting a brownie?”

“Yeah, what do you want?” She grinned, backed away half a step, and drummed her fingers together.

“Well, I noticed you didn’t sign up to put a piece in the next art exhibition.” Sehun turned to walk towards the register.

“No, I didn’t. I don’t like anything I’ve done recently.”

“What about your landscapes?” 

“I’m tired of doing landscapes. All I see every single day is grass and dirt. I don’t want to draw it anymore.” Yerim nodded with her mouth hanging open and eyes wide.

“Well, since you’re the only student in the club who’s not submitting something, it might seem like you’re… well… not that dedicated.” Sehun accepted his change and walked back towards the hallway, Yerim walking so closely behind he could feel her breath on his shoulder. She was probably the closest thing he had to a friend in this school but whenever she acted like this he knew she was going to ask for something.

“And…?”

“And I need someone to help out at the Halloween Festival next weekend. You up for some face painting?” 

Sehun didn’t like children but just before he was about to reject the offer he thought of Kai. Festivals were fun and happy. Maybe Key could give Kai the day to spend outside the city. Kai had been looking at the Halloween decorations the day he arrived so maybe it was his favorite holiday.

“Fine. Sure. Whatever.”

“Awesome! Be in the gym by nine in the morning! Love you!” With a quick, tight hug she skipped away. 

The bubble tea shop wasn’t that far from school and Minseok never minded when Sehun simply left his bike leaning by the door.

“Your usual?”

“Yep! Plus one regular one, please.” Minseok raised an eyebrow.

“Buying for friends now, are we?” Sehun shrugged.

“I guess. We have someone new staying at our house and he’s my age but he’s been feeling a little down recently. Bubble tea cheers everyone up.” Minseok smiled before turning around to fix the drinks.

“Another one from Seoul?”

“Yeah… but I might get to go to Seoul soon too! I don’t know when… but I guess it really could be any time now. A whole new school and everything!”

“Aw, that’s too bad. You’re my favorite customer and big cities like Seoul always seem to ruin people. Gimme a shout when it’s confirmed and I’ll give you a free sample of everything. We can put them in shot glasses as long as you don’t tell Seohyun.” 

With a wave he set off towards home chancing a few sips of his own bubble tea when he wasn’t going up or down hills. When he entered the kitchen he was surprised to see Kai already home sitting at the table with a sad expression as Seohyun spoke to him quietly. They both looked up when Sehun walked in.

Kai had been in the hospital for three days leaving Sehun a lot of time to think about things. He decided that even though he didn’t know how long either he or Kai would be in Busan, he’d do his best to help him get better. Yunho must know that Kai had been feeling so down so that’s probably why he sent him here. It was like a duty given to Sehun indirectly but it had only occurred to him now in hindsight.

“I… uh… welcome home, Kai. How are you feeling?” The boy looked down slightly before raising his head to somewhat look at him. Sehun had to work to hide his surprise when he answered. 

“Fine… I’m fine.” His voice was lighter and quieter than it had been the other times he’d heard Kai speak. Before it was sharp and clipped though still somewhat muted.

“Good. I brought you something. It’s nothing big but I hope you like bubble tea. I just assumed everybody likes chocolate so… there’s a brownie too.” Kai reached out to accept the gift, fingers brushing against Sehun’s slightly as he did so. Kai’s hands were cold.

“Thank you. I’ve never had bubble tea.”

“WHAT?” Sehun inwardly cursed at himself when Kai flinched at the loudness of his voice. “I mean, not that there’s anything wrong with that. Sorry, I just really like bubble tea. I have some practically everyday.” Kai nodded and took a small sip, licked his lips, and then took a large sip only pulling away to munch on the boba.

“It’s good.”

“Of course it’s good! We could… uh… we can get more whenever you want. The person who used to work at the place I go to was mean but this new guy, Minseok, just started working there a little over a month ago. He’s great. Sometimes he even gives me stuff for free.” He looked up in time to see Seohyun give him a tiny thumbs-up. 

“That’s kind of him,” Kai said. Sehun was still surprised by how much Kai was talking. They were actually having a conversation.

“Yes… yes it is. Are you sure you’re ok?” Kai looked like he was about to answer but started taking more sips of the bubble tea instead. He wasn't like himself at all and the scene from the bathroom and the hospital replayed itself in his head. He had wondered what Youngmin had done or said to him but the man seemed fine when he met with Sehun in private. Maybe he calmed down when he was left alone with Kai too.

“Kai got some medication that he’ll be on for a while. I got a new lock made for the medicine cabinet too so can you make sure he takes his pills on time? I’ll give you a key,” Seohyun said. Sehun nodded in understanding. “I’ve also set up a cot in your room. Is it ok if Kai sleeps there for now? It was recommended that he not sleep alone.” Sehun looked at Kai who was now fiddling with the brownie. He almost seemed like a completely different person from before so he was glad they got him to a doctor in time.

“Sure. It’ll be fun.”

***

Junmyeon got fired from the call center for eating a sandwich on the toilet after lunch hour had ended. He missed his 5:23 PM phone call from Bo-ah because he was past tipsy and on his way to being hammered at some dive bar near his apartment.

Junmyeon had taken on various jobs since leaving the police force but this is the first time he’d ever been fired and he didn’t even think it was for that good of a reason either. It probably had more to do with not returning his supervisor’s sultry gazes and pulling up too many YouTube videos on his cell phone, the kind that gave him all sorts of somewhat useless facts, while he was trudging his way through his call list. 

The sun was just about to rise when he was dragging his way up the rickety stairs, the artsy lady’s cat running to rub against his leg. He almost kicked it until he remembered that he was supposed to be a good person.

He thought maybe the alcohol was still burning its way through his system when he saw a brown bag in front of his door instead of the customary rose. He had to pee. He almost turned around to pee next to the cat but no. Public urination is bad and just because he wasn’t a cop anymore didn’t mean he could go around town acting like a troubled teen. So what if he lost his job? There were plenty more to go around.

Going down the hall to the shared bathroom he relieved himself in the shower because he was still too out of it to recognize a toilet. He looked at himself in the mirror and thought of those sad pop ballads he heard on the radio. He was a sad pop ballad.

The brown bag taunted him from its place on the coffee table. Did he really want to open a package from Yixing? Did he really want anything to do with Yixing after what he had done to him and Youngwoon? Was he really that desperate for a cheap thrill? Was it wrong that he associated Yixing with cheap thrills?

He burped and ripped the bag where it was stapled shut and almost screamed when he was face to face with a scorpion, a real life scorpion situated on top of a rock in a tiny glass box with holes carved into the top. He held his breath when it started to move.

Junmyeon’s first instinct was to throw it away but could you really throw a live scorpion in the trash? What if the glass broke and it killed the artsy lady’s cat? He then thought about killing it then throwing it away but then he risked getting stung by the thing and something told him that leaving a live scorpion outside his door over a pile of dead roses might get him evicted.

So the creature stayed in its substitute habitat on Junmyeon’s coffee table as he searched the web trying to figure out just how poisonous it was but somewhere along the way he began looking up what scorpions liked to eat instead. Junmyeon was a good person and good people didn’t let scorpions starve to death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OTHER STORIES BY UNUSUAL_TABLE
> 
> [Two Minutes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24045196/chapters/57859369): Jongin was born just two minutes after Kai. It took him a long time to realize he didn’t need to spend the rest of his life trying to catch up. [TWINS!AU - CHANKAI, SEKAI]
> 
> [Bound by Silver](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23604130/chapters/56642974): Master had three simple rules for Wolf to follow. The first was to never go beyond the fence. The second was to never speak to lodgers. The third was to never respond to the howl of the Mountain Spirits that could be heard on nights of the full moon. [WOLF!AU - SEKAI, BAEKYEOL, LAYHAN]
> 
> [Ghost Light](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24366250/chapters/58764295): After Junmyeon’s life falls apart, he retreats to his family’s small home near Daegu. Sequestered in his little house on the hill, he soon finds himself acquainted with an odd mailman named Zhang Yixing. [THEATRE!AU - SULAY]


	37. Act III: Chapter VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT III: When Yunho's friends come down from Seoul they usually don't stay for very long but Sehun had a feeling that Kai wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Kyungsoo  
> Scene II - Sehun  
> Scene III - Jongin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Kyungsoo ran up another flight of stairs, sighing in relief when he finally saw the “CLEANING IN PROGRESS” sign propped up outside the bathrooms at the far end of the fifth floor hallway. This wasn’t a building he’d ever needed to go to over the course of the school day but it was the building Baekhyun was often assigned to for work at night.

He took a few moments to compose himself, going over in his mind the strategy he was going to use today. Baekhyun had been acting more withdrawn than usual recently, staying in his room and declining all invitations to have meals together. When they did occupy the same space, it was as if his mind were somewhere else and while Kyungsoo would normally be the last person to object to natural silence in their shared apartment, Baekhyun’s situation was different. He hadn’t truly been the same ever since everything happened with Chanyeol and Jongdae so Kyungsoo wanted to do something to help even if just the idea of it made him nervous. Him stepping in had never helped all that much before. 

He knew he was still not an adequate replacement for the friends Baekhyun had lost and trying to relate to or understand what he was going through was impossible. Even amongst his college peers, none had attempted to bring him into their social circle like Baekhyun had during their senior year of high school. Wrapping up his time in the library a bit earlier today was the least he could do to keep Baekhyun company even if his friend didn’t particularly feel like discussing what was going on. 

Kyungsoo walked through the door just as he heard Baekhyun shout, something clatter, and Baekhyun cursing. He was on the floor with a mop bucket that he must’ve tripped on or otherwise knocked over, the dirty fluid now spreading all over the tiles and under the stalls. Kyungsoo quickly turned to the cart that was just outside the bathroom, grabbing the collection of rag towels to then toss over the growing mess, turning to the paper towel dispenser for more.

“Baekhyun?” he asked, noticing the other had not yet moved at all, his clothes quickly soaking up with water. “Are you ok? Did you get hurt?” He looked up again when he got no response, trying at the same time to keep cleaning up the spill. 

“I’m sorry,” Baekhyun said, finally moving from fully sitting to a squat. “I’ll clean it up. I was just distracted. Don’t worry about it.”

“No, it’s fine. I want to help. I  _ am _ helping. You… you can’t stop me!” Of all things he wasn’t expecting to hear Baekhyun laugh even if it was only lightly. This gave him hope that whatever was weighing Baekhyun down more than usual recently, it wasn’t anything Kyungsoo was doing. 

“You’re always a breath of fresh air, Kyungsoo.” 

Almost an entire new pack of paper towels and a quick trip to the nearest maintenance closet later and the mess was gone, mop bucket refilled. Baekhyun didn’t try to stop him when Kyungsoo opted to grab a pair of rubber gloves for himself, getting up on the counter to wipe down the mirrors while Baekhyun got to work on the toilets. All the while, Kyungsoo explained what he’d learned in class over the past few days making sure to spend extra time detailing the common required courses that Baekhyun would eventually take too. He’d been making sure to take time to do this whenever the two of them had spare moments together. He wanted Baekhyun to feel like they were studying together like they always used to do.

“I forget sometimes that this school accepted me in the first place,” Baekhyun said as they rolled all the equipment over to the nearby men’s bathroom. “Today I… I asked if I might be able to be assigned some of the lecture halls or study rooms but my supervisor just sort of laughed in my face.” 

“He won’t be laughing at you by this time next year,” Kyungsoo said confidently but Baekhyun avoided his gaze.

“Maybe.”

Maybe? Was that it? Had something happened with his status at Yonsei? The two of them had searched for scholarships together and Kyungsoo had been with Baekhyun when he’d sent a written letter to the school dean to explain his situation. Sure deferring a year and getting a job in the school’s janitorial department in the meantime was all that really came from it but from the point of view of students from the area of Seoul they came from? That was a lot. 

“What do you mean by that?” he asked and Baekhyun moved the mop bucket down to the far end of the bathroom, silent as if he hadn’t meant to allude to anything and had meant to keep Kyungsoo in the dark about whatever his thoughts or plans were.

“School means I can’t work as much. My mother is the happiest I’ve seen her in years… we’re finally accumulating savings. I want to make sure that even if things don’t work out with her new boyfriend and even if something happens with her new job, we won’t be screwed over and forced back into the situation we came from. There’s trade schools too, you know?” The request concurrence was directed at him but Baekhyun was looking just about anywhere else, his tone unsure almost as if he couldn’t believe he was saying any of this out loud. “It’s just something I’m thinking about. Becoming a doctor will take so long.  _ Years _ . For my situation it doesn’t make sense. Really the only thing keeping me on the path I’m on at this point is Taeyeon.” Baekhyun’s voice cracked as he said her name and wiped away a few sudden rogue tears from his face while he attempted to compose himself again. “She wouldn’t even look at me if she thought I wasn’t going to become a student here. But… well… she’s… I think she’s going to leave me. Oh god, Kyungsoo. I think… I think she’s going to leave me!”

“Hey, hey it’s ok. It’s going to be ok,” Kyungsoo tried to say soothingly. He wasn’t used to holding people in his arms. In his life, only his own mother had ever insisted on being this close to him, but it seemed like he was doing a decent enough job as Baekhyun’s wails of misery quieted down over several minutes echoing off the tiles around them. “I’ve been saying that you deserve better than her,” he whispered to his friend once it had been quiet for a few moments. “Much better.” But maybe that was the wrong thing to say because Baekhyun was suddenly pushing him away.”

“I love her. What would you know about love? You’ve never been with anyone! Where did you learn about it? Books?” Kyungsoo felt himself flush with embarrassment but also frustration. 

“My parents love each other. Your parents loved each other. Taeyeon doesn’t care for you and she never will regardless of if you start at Yonsei or not. Regarding that, I’ll be here to support you no matter what you choose. I’m your friend, I’d like to think I’m at the very least capable of that. And… and-”

The slap across his face stung and for a split second Baekhyun seemed like he was surprised at what he’d just done. 

“Get out,” was all his friend said to him. So Kyungsoo left more defeated than he'd ever felt before. 

***

It started simply enough. Kai had a complicated assortment of medicines which made it understandable why Seohyun wanted him to take care of it. Sehun was extraordinarily good at memorizing and remembering things so something as important as a medication schedule was right up his alley. Breakfast, dinner, and before bed were their times. 

The first night, Sehun expected Kai to… maybe not laugh, but maybe to make a face or something as he struggled with the childproof lids but he just stood there, arms limp by his side, staring at the towel rack.

Sehun ran his eyes over the labels but didn’t know what any of it meant. Four of them didn’t even look like they were given by the doctor and only listed how much Kai should take and when in sloppy handwriting.

“Ok Kai, this is it,” he said holding up one hand with the pills and another with a glass of water. Kai tightened his lips and shook his head.

“No,” he whispered. 

“Oh come on… and Seohyun says  _ I’m _ the baby? Just take it so we can go to bed.” 

Kai stood still, frowning for a few moments, before hesitantly putting out his hand. It took a few tries to swallow them all.

Previously that night Kai had sat with them during dinner and cleaned his entire plate in less than ten minutes after shoving rice into his mouth almost continuously. It made Sehun relieved because he had only noticed how skinny Kai was when he was in the hospital and now that he had his appetite back he’d no doubt get healthier.

When Sehun got up to wash the dishes he suggested Kai go into the living room to watch some TV but after he was done and went to check on him, Kai was just sitting on the floor rubbing his hands on the rug. That’s when Sehun decided maybe it was best that they go to bed early.

Kai looked around Sehun’s room when they walked in and it only occurred to him then that Kai had never seen it before. Paintings and sketches were tacked to the wall only interrupted by two large posters: one for Tao’s first single and one for Tao’s first mini album.

He had to keep himself from looking too intently as Kai slowly shed his shirt and pants revealing the scars he’d seen before and more. There was a particularly nasty one on his stomach that looked too jagged to have been done during surgery. Kai sat down on the cot, feet planted on the floor. Sehun chose to awkwardly sit down next to him.

"I know things might not seem so good now but I'll try my best to help you," he said, watching Kai now draw circles on his knees with his index fingers.

Sehun moved to the head of the cot to pull the covers back and took off the other boy’s socks. With only a little guidance, Kai laid down, eyes focused on a landscape Sehun had drawn years ago of the view from the back of the house. Maybe in the coming days, Kai would want to explore out that way with him. It was very beautiful in the fall like this. 

"Is he gone?" Kai asked quietly. 

“Is who gone?”

“Is… Youngmin gone?”

“Yes,” Sehun said, thoughts wandering to the older man for the first time in a while.

“Don’t… don’t leave me alone with him. Please? Please don’t make me…” Kai spoke again, voice just as quiet.

“I won’t,” Sehun assured him automatically, a dozen questions suddenly running through his mind, the uncomfortable feeling Youngmin initially gave him coming back. But Kai wasn’t himself right now. He probably didn’t know what he was saying and wouldn’t remember either. Youngmin was intimidating, that was certain. Even someone with Kai’s life experience would be unnerved by him. He was still a kid at the end of the day, just like Sehun.

The following morning was when things started to go wrong. Sehun had to shake Kai quite a bit to wake him up and for at least five minutes Kai didn’t seem to know where he was, who Sehun was, curled himself into a ball against the wall, and the distinct smell of urine penetrated the air. He shoveled cereal into his mouth so quickly that he started to choke and when Key arrived to pick him up he only took one look at him before calling Hyukjae to tell him about the situation. The man on the other end of the line had been furious and argued with Seohyun for the better part of an hour. Kai would get to spend a week resting but after that Hyukjae wanted him off of everything claiming that whatever it was that had made Kai hurt himself, he’d simply have to get over it. 

In the afternoon and into the evening, Kai calmed down watching Sehun sketch on the back porch swing and wandered around the field alone looking at the sky.

“It’s pretty here,” Kai said rather lazily once the sun had set. “It’s… safe here.” Sehun closed his sketchbook. 

“I guess so. I personally can’t wait to see more of the world than this. Seoul must be pretty too, is it not?” Kai stared at where Sehun’s hands still rested on his sketchbook but did not respond although at this point, Sehun was getting used to it. 

Sehun learned that Kai got cold very easily. For someone from Seoul, Kai oddly wasn’t able to handle the much more mild temperatures of Busan. While sitting outside he wore thick socks, a sweater, and held a wool blanket over his pajama pants. It was kind of amusing to see. 

As the week went on Kai stopped speaking entirely and barely moved around the house but ate more and smiled more and slept more naturally. It was an odd trade having the Kai who seemed to hate him swapped with one who sat with his knees tucked to his chest watching the birds fly by with a content glow. It was like someone had thrown a tarp over all of Kai’s problems and shoved them into a box deep within but Sehun wondered if this was the right thing and by the time the next weekend came, Hyukjae’s words seemed a lot less appaling. 

“I can’t make it tomorrow,” he told Yerim over the phone the night before their school’s Halloween event. “Someone in my house is really sick.”

_ “SEHUN WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME NOOOOO,” _ she whined on the other end but Sehun knew she wasn’t truly mad.  _ “I’ll see you on Monday then. Hope everything works out.” _

The previous night was the first time Kai hadn’t taken his prescribed medication and the only difference was he didn’t pass out two seconds after he laid down and had woken up before Sehun. His eyes were a little red so Sehun knew that he must’ve not slept that much but now it was starting to fade away.

Soon enough after breakfast, the two of them were once again seated on the back porch swing. It would probably rain at some point later in the day. Sehun could feel it in the air which meant if they were going to do anything outside properly, it was best they do so now.

“Do you want to take a walk again today? Maybe up the road?” he asked and sighed in relief when Kai stood up.

Kai leaned against him the longer they walked, likely feeling a bit drowsy. It did feel nice these past days that Kai trusted Sehun to do anything. It never would’ve been like that before. They shared the same shampoo and bodywash but somehow the slight hint of peach smelled better coming off of Kai. He tried not to think about it. He tried not to think about the softness of the boy’s hair against his neck either when they stopped to rest. 

By the time they made it back to the house, Kai looked exhausted and they more or less collapsed together on the front steps of the house. Sehun asked if Kai wanted water but Kai shook his head and kept Sehun’s grip around him even though it was a weak one. Kai refused lunch and headed back up to their room, changing into something comfortable before wrapping himself up in the sheets. Sehun put his hand to his forehead.

“It feels like you’re burning up. Do you want me to call Seohyun?” Kai’s eyes weren’t focusing on anything.

“No… no, call hyung… call _ Chanyeol _ .” Stiffening a bit at the memory of the last time he had heard that name, Sehun reached for Kai’s phone and scrolled down the contacts.

“Sorry Kai, is he saved as something else?” His mouth was open and his breathing was getting heavier so Sehun repeated himself.

“Happy Virus…” 

“Oh, ok.” He looked through the contacts again and found it.

_ “We’re sorry. The number you have dialed is no longer in service. Please hang up and try- _ ” He ended the call and looked over to see that Kai was staring at him.

“Did he… did he say what time he’s picking me up?” Kai asked, moving to sit up but Sehun pushed him back down pulling the covers all the way up like he’d been doing every night.

“I think you should take a nap. You’re making me worried. I’ll get you some water just in case you need it.”

Sehun watched Kai as he slept fitfully, seemingly falling into nightmares every hour or so but he brushed away the hair from his forehead and unclenched his hands until he stopped squirming. Just after sunset, Sehun rested his head on the bed next to Kai and slipped away too.

***

For eight months Kai had been driven by a foreign, frigid anger. For the first time he was angry at the parents he’d never met, angry at people he let pull him along because he was too shy and unsure to make decisions for himself, angry for believing in things that weren’t meant for people like him, angry at his teachers for being right about what he’d become. 

He was angry at the shine in Chanyeol’s eyes, angry at the memory of the feeling of his skin, angry for following Chanyeol that first night they met, angry for caring.

He was angry when he’d been pushed to the ground, cheek spreading out the cooling blood on that cement floor as Youngmin’s favored men raped him, angry at the people who had watched, whispered, cheered. He was angry at Chanyeol’s unmoving body. He was angry at Xiah for leaving him behind. He was angry for eventually, after so much torture, wanting Youngmin to be proud of him.

He was angry at his toned arms, chest, and legs, angry when knives and firearms felt more and more familiar in his hands, angry when people saw him and walked the other way. He was angry when he witnessed the funeral of the first cop he’d killed, angry when he didn’t care.

But he didn’t notice how comforting and securing that anger had been until one day without warning it began to wane. The air turned thicker, his feet grew heavier, snakes slithered below his skin and ate through his stomach, looked through his eyes. And what was Kai without anger but Jongin? What was Jongin without Chanyeol?

He was an extra on stage. He woke up every morning and didn’t know why. Eventually he couldn’t sleep at all. Before long he was so, so sleepy.

The first time Yunho showed sympathy. Kai was locked away in the trenches of their perfect estate where the smell of grass and flowers drifted through the windows like those were supposed to calm him.

The second time was a secret between him and Taemin on the one and only night his childhood friend had opened his legs for him and let him feel like he was in control. It was the only night that needle had pierced Taemin’s skin and Kai didn’t move one finger to stop him. He hated Taemin for going back on his word. He hated the sight of the rising sun the next day.

The third time was an unlucky miscalculation that left Kai laying on the floor of his tiny apartment laughing at himself in the mirror but he forgot to hide the new colors around his neck when Changmin stormed in a few hours after Kai stopped answering his phone. In hindsight, maybe he should’ve just shot himself. But he couldn’t. He didn’t deserve to leave the world as quickly as the person he’d loved beyond all understanding.

But even with those thoughts, he still functioned, still did what had to be done even when the thought of skin on skin caused him pain, even when Youngmin reminded him of his place.

Busan was beautiful. It was no wonder Chanyeol had always wanted to visit. It was a perfect place to think, the ideal place to rest.

Sehun wasn’t supposed to be awake that late at night. That’s why he had been so confident. It was so slow, his body felt so light before it began to painfully try to reject all he had dumped into his system, and even though he knew he wouldn’t be going to the place Chanyeol was, at least the world would be safe from him and his anger and his fear because Kai had always been afraid. 

Sehun was odd and frustrating and foolish. Kai had such a hard time placing him that half the time he wanted to strangle him. He wanted to be angry at Sehun but his anger had fizzled out. 

When he survived the fourth time he was almost grateful Youngmin was there even though it hurt because Youngmin was something familiar in such a strange paradise. Nurses walked on by even though the sound of violence must’ve echoed, must’ve alerted everyone as to how useless, how low Kai was. He didn’t even struggle. He didn’t care about the burn of human touch anymore.

The past week had been a blur. He had felt so empty and the sadness left by the anger was numbed. For a few moments he wondered if he had actually succeeded. For a few moments he wondered if he’d spend eternity being led around a small house by a foolish boy, a boy that could’ve been him if he had only been dealt different cards.

The anguish he felt when he woke up tore him apart from the inside. The feeling of sweat cooling on his skin, the drawings of mountains and trees and animals plastered to the wall, a messy head of black hair tickling his elbow came into focus as his brain sent out signals of pain. It was a pit in his stomach, a fire behind his eyes, a coldness in his fingertips. It was like the wave of emotions he had experienced close to a year ago now came washing over him, over the dead anger, over the stabbing shame, over the hollow sadness.

And when that stupid, foolish child brushed the hair from his eyes and tried to press water to his mouth, he cried for the first time since in that crowded warehouse. He fell apart on the outskirts of Busan where you could see the stars and smell the sea and walk for miles through the darkness without a single soul as a witness. Chanyeol would’ve liked it here but maybe the reason Kai had made it here in the first place was because Chanyeol didn’t want him to rest. Kai didn’t deserve to finally rest.

“Kai… Kai, can’t you tell me what’s wrong? Tell me what to do,” Sehun pleaded. But he could only get out two words in response.

“It hurts.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg... hello readers. SO WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS I suddenly got a part time job and started grad school at the same time and have been trying to adjust to going from sitting around my house all day writing fan fiction to actually contributing to society so I KIND OF VANISHED THERE FOR A SECOND but I promise I am getting used to the additional workload and two of my other fics are wrapping up soon-ish so we will get back to a more regular update frequency eventually~~~
> 
> Hopefully this chapter was enjoyable for the long wait. T___T 
> 
> OTHER STORIES BY UNUSUAL_TABLE
> 
> [Two Minutes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24045196/chapters/57859369): Jongin was born just two minutes after Kai. It took him a long time to realize he didn’t need to spend the rest of his life trying to catch up. [TWINS!AU - CHANKAI, SEKAI]
> 
> [Bound by Silver](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23604130/chapters/56642974): Master had three simple rules for Wolf to follow. The first was to never go beyond the fence. The second was to never speak to lodgers. The third was to never respond to the howl of the Mountain Spirits that could be heard on nights of the full moon. [WOLF!AU - SEKAI, BAEKYEOL, LAYHAN]
> 
> [Ghost Light](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24366250/chapters/58764295): After Junmyeon’s life falls apart, he retreats to his family’s small home near Daegu. Sequestered in his little house on the hill, he soon finds himself acquainted with an odd mailman named Zhang Yixing. [THEATRE!AU - SULAY]


	38. Act III: Chapter VII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT III: When Yunho's friends come down from Seoul they usually don't stay for very long but Sehun had a feeling that Kai wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Jongin  
> Scene II - Junmyeon  
> Scene III - Baekhyun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

It wasn’t until Sehun told him it was Sunday that Kai realized how much he’d lost track of time. It was Sunday morning and the sun was hitting his eyelids through Sehun’s bedroom curtains. It was Sunday morning and Sehun didn’t have anywhere else to be so he chose to be with him. 

He wanted to be alone but he was never left alone after his attempts. It was easier, though, being medicated here in Busan than it was in one of Phantom’s storage rooms where anyone could get to him, where anyone could touch him. It was where no police or doctors not already on the gang’s payroll could speak to him but the ones that weren’t were no better than the ones that were. He knew that now. He knew that all too well.

“I brought you breakfast,” Sehun said. 

Kai’s whole body felt heavy like someone had held open his jaw while he was sleeping and poured in cement and his chest still hurt from the nightmares he had, nightmares with the better areas of Seoul glistening in the backdrop.

“I’m not hungry.” 

His throat felt like sandpaper and his fingers felt like rusty metal hinges as he gripped one of the sheets tighter when Sehun reached over him to feel his forehead.

“You’re not feverish anymore. That’s good. We can just eat later. Maybe sleep some more?” 

It always felt like this whenever he got that little taste of almost-freedom, that terrifying but welcome feeling of heading towards an unknowable horizon. The only difference was that this time it wasn’t just him being shoved back out on the streets, bruised and battered. It was him and Sehun in a colorful bedroom with a wide open window that let in smells of autumn and dulled the headache Kai usually had. 

Nonetheless it was the beginning of another cycle, a ticking time bomb, but Sehun didn’t need to know that. When it got to be too much again he’d be back in Seoul anyway. They wouldn’t keep him out here for too long. Kai was good at what he did. Youngmin said so himself. It’s funny what you could be talked into doing when you had nothing to lose.

After resting his eyes once again he only began shifting around when he could no longer feel the morning sun against his skin. Upon opening his eyes he saw Sehun sitting on the floor next to his bed sketching something. Even though he wasn’t quite himself the past several days, Kai remembers Sehun drawing and how fascinating he’d found it. It was always an odd contrast: the Sehun that whined to Seohyun and the Sehun that was dead focused trying to catch the colors of the sunset with charcoal. He was a good artist. He’d probably been told that many times in a small community like this one. Lots of people probably loved him. How else could he not have a care in the world? 

Sehun looked up momentarily, catching Kai’s gaze before going back to what he was doing. He must be pretty far into whatever he was working on. If he wasn’t, he’d surely try to fill the silence with random comments now that Kai gave away that he wasn’t asleep. But Sehun didn’t, not right away. They existed like this until the sky was bright blue and the pain Kai felt settled back down somewhere in his bones to rest. It would wake again later to follow him. It would always come back.

“I have an idea,” Sehun said after he put his art supplies away. “I organized it all last night when it looked like you were sleeping well.” Kai slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, pausing for a moment as blood rushed in his head. It felt good to sit up. He’d been laying down for too long. “Of course we don’t have to do anything… unless you want to…” He could tell how uncomfortable Sehun was and found it within himself to feel pity for him.

“What is it?” he asked. 

He saw Sehun do his Sehun smile which wasn’t really a smile but something that made him seem a little off center. Sehun was just a little off in general. A quirky kid.

“I can… I can tell you? You want to hear it?” Kai only blinked as a response. “Well there’s this place I thought we could go to… over there,” he said pointing out the window. “The weather is still nice enough and there’s sandwiches just in case you feel like eating… and then there’s a tennis ball we could play catch with because you seem like a sporty person and… and my iPod? I can show you my favorite Tao songs. He’s really cool. I can tell you everything about him if you’re interested… which you’re probably not. I’m sorry, this is a long explanation.” Sehun shut his mouth and stared at him further like he was some sort of wild, wounded animal.

“Ok,” he found himself saying. Maybe it was better than continuing to be stuck inside with Sehun looking at him like that.

The crisp air circulated through his body. Truthfully, Kai had grown to like taking walks out here. There wasn’t trash you had to step on, there weren’t people you had to avoid, and it was so, so quiet even with the sound of another pair of feet crunching their way across dying grass and orange leaves. Sehun didn’t let him return the coat, gloves, and beanie he’d borrowed from him over the past week, insisting that he keep them at least for the day’s excursion. Before long they were surrounded by trees until they came upon a small clearing.

“This is the place where I come when I’m sad or angry or confused… which, granted, isn’t that much, but I think it’s natural to remember places like these the most because they’re the places you find when you feel like you’re alone,” Sehun said, sitting down in the grass and grabbing a blanket from the backpack he brought. Kai looked around the clearing from the edge. The trees were beautiful this time of year and the sounds of nature with Sehun sitting in the middle of the scene made it look like whatever fairytale Kai imagined Sehun had running in his head. 

It was nice though.

Moving to sit opposite him, Sehun hurriedly pulled out the sandwiches he might’ve mentioned earlier, pushing one over to just shy of Kai’s knees.

“Are you hungry now?”

“No.” 

Sehun got that awkward rigidness to his body for a split second, his own sandwich maybe only a couple inches away from his face. He lowered it and put it back into the small plastic bag, grabbed Kai’s, and set them aside.

“We can save them for later then.” 

Silence settled upon them for a time and Sehun held his tongue by running his fingers through the grass. Kai would’ve expected him to pull it out by the roots. Maybe Sehun wasn’t capable of harming anything.

Kind of like how he used to be.

He noticed how Sehun had some of the same habits as his when he was nervous or unsure: the biting of the lips, the stretching of the fingers, the inclined head, the lowered eyelids, the rolling of the ankles. But he also blabbed a lot only just managing to catch himself a good time after he probably meant to stop. Kai didn’t do that. Kai just didn’t say anything at all and wished he did later. There was no filter between Sehun’s brain and his mouth which is something that made his foolishness that much more innocent and true.

He wanted to hate it but he’d been filled with hate for so long he couldn’t muster it up anymore. But he could be jealous. He could be jealous of Sehun and his home and his life.

“Are you sad? Right now? Are you sad right now?” Sehun asked. Kai noticed belatedly that he might’ve been staring into space for a while.

“No.”

“How about this morning?” Kai looked down at the gloves on his hands. They were dark red with snowflakes. He didn’t like the color red.

“Maybe… a little…”

“About what?” So many questions.

“I don’t know.”

“You should tell someone when you know. Unless… I mean… not that you  _ should _ , I just mean that it’s an option. But there are really a lot of options when it comes to making decisions. That’s why I’m fine when noona makes decisions for me like how I can’t play sports or stay too long after school or invite people over… but you’re here and we’re the same age so it’s kind of like having a friend from school come. I mean, I’m not sure if we’re  _ friends _ but… we could be? I… sorry.” Kai heard a deep grumble sound from the boy’s stomach. Sehun blushed.

“Hungry?” Kai asked with a sigh.

“Only if you are.” Kai bit his lip the same time Sehun bit his.

“Sure.” 

Kai grabbed a sandwich and threw it over to Sehun then began to nibble on his own. They washed it all down with apple juice and Sehun stretched and leaned back onto the grass taking in a deep breath. 

“Good?” Sehun asked, eyes pointing towards Kai.

“Yeah… did your sister help with these?” Sehun propped himself up on his elbows.

“Sister? You mean Seohyun noona? We’re not related. Granny Sun used to look after us but… we weren’t related to her either. We were a very… quilty bunch, all patched up together… and even after Granny Sun died a few years ago we still have people like you stop by. I think it’s more fun that way. Blood feels too obligatory.” It took a while for Kai to process what Sehun had said. It was so matter-of-fact, so accepting.

“Interesting.” Sehun shrugged.

“Maybe, but I never knew my real parents or anything, so maybe I’m a little biased.” Kai’s throat tightened.

“Oh?”

“Yeah!” he said with a smile, “Mr. Jung stopped by the local orphanage here when I was nine. It was on a farm. I had to dig up poop so much it was horrible. But Mr. Jung liked me and Yunho liked me and a few days later Granny Sun pulled up with Jimi Hendrix! The dog. Not the person.”

_ That could’ve been you _ , a voice said in his head.  _ But it wasn’t.  _

“I was… I never knew my parents either,” he said quietly without really knowing why.

“Did Mr. Jung adopt you too but in Seoul? I wish he would’ve taken me back with him but he left me here. He said it wasn’t safe for me.” Kai scratched the snowflake on his glove.

“Kind of… I guess you could say that.”

“So you have a quilty type of family too?”

“I… no. I don’t think so.” Sehun was sitting up again now, legs crossed.

“Well by staying here you’re kind of already a part of mine. I remember everybody even if they forget about me.” 

They played catch for a while at Sehun’s insistence which soon turned to more of a toss and eventually they lay looking at the sky in their own little worlds but Kai was aware of Sehun a meter away. The grass felt nice tickling his ears and neck and spending the afternoon doing things that seemed so pointless to him was a little bit nice. There was also more to Sehun than he thought initially. He didn’t know how to feel about the fact that Sehun was so close with the Jung family. The fact that so many members of Phantom had spent time roaming their property freely over several years didn’t sit right with him either because someone like Sehun shouldn’t even be on the same planet as Phantom. And why had Mr. Jung been so determined to keep Sehun here? Why did Yunho promise him a ticket to Seoul when he was older? But as Kai’s eyelids grew heavy he figured it was just to get Sehun to stop asking about it. Tell the kid he would be a big time mobster just like in the movies, tell him he’d get the chance because it was so easy to tell someone like Sehun these things because eyes like those looked like they’d believe anything.

***

Curiosity killed the cat. 

That’s what Junmyeon thought to himself as a warning on the days where he felt particularly lonely sitting next to his pet scorpion that seemed it was here to stay. Sometimes he let himself wonder if this was all a symptom of trauma. 

Does seeing your coworker disemboweled count as traumatic? Is thinking that the person who was at least partly responsible for it just perhaps misunderstood a typical conclusion to make after mulling over it for months and months? Does stewing over the guilt of likely being responsible for one dead and one missing teenager make you more empathetic or just  _ pathetic _ ? Because past the downright pornographic nature of Yixing’s letters, there was a familiar sense of loneliness, something he connected with and felt settling icy soft in his chest. 

Was he just imagining it?

Yixing, for all his involvement with a crime syndicate, probably didn’t have anyone to truly talk to but he chose to communicate with Junmyeon, the failed cop living in what might be the most rundown apartment building in the city busting his dwindling bank account balance on soju. As it was, he hadn’t left his apartment in the past four days but the giant container of japchae he’d bought before was almost out. Luckily he still had a whole bag of chips… somewhere.

But now his front door was wide open and he didn’t have socks on so his toes curled in on themselves from the chill of evening. His flannel pants rode a little low on his hips but his t-shirt reached down to his thighs. How long had it been since he’d last washed his hair? Since he last bathed? Since he’d last changed out of the pajamas he was wearing? Definitely four days for the clothes. For everything else he wasn’t sure. It’s what he started thinking about as an obvious contrast to the way Yixing stood fresh on his doorstep in a black tuxedo with a bottle of red wine.

_ Fuck. _

“You accepted my gift,” Yixing said, everything about him almost glowing with hope. His Korean was still accented but much more fluent than the last time he had seen him… the time he’d sliced open Youngwoon’s throat with a machete. What would Youngwoon think if he saw Junmyeon now? 

_ He’d put you in a padded room, _ Junmyeon thought dryly, frozen where he stood.

“I… did?” he asked, still dumbfounded at the sight before him and Yixing pulled out a bouquet of dead roses, the ones that had been piling up outside.

“After many failures of course. I knew you’d like Ginger. She’s a beautiful creature, isn’t she?”

There were a number of reasons why Junmyeon should close the door, keep Yixing at the distance the terrifying man had been staying all this time. There was absolutely no way letting Yixing into his apartment would result in anything good but when the man took a step forward, Junmyeon automatically took a step back, looking at how quickly Yixing filled up the space of the small one room apartment.

“You should close the door,” Yixing said after sitting down on Junmyeon’s folding chair in the corner next to his boxes of old case files and more recent newspaper clippings. “I don’t want you to catch a cold.”

Not having any other chair in the apartment, Junmyeon closed the door and sat on the edge of his bed separated from Yixing only by his plain coffee table with Ginger, Yixing had called the scorpion, stumbling around in her glass box. 

“What do you want, Zhang?” he asked as firmly as possible, but the rapid beating of his heart paired with how tipsy he already was from soju likely took the edge off of his delivery. Either way, Yixing’s smile didn’t falter. 

“I wanted to give you this gift personally,” he said, holding up the wine. Junmyeon made no move to reach for it so Yixing settled it back into his lap. “Forgive me, I should probably ask you how your job hunt is going.”

“Fine.”

“But you haven’t found anything.”

“Why do you care?” 

“We could work together.”

“No.” Yixing’s eyebrows creased as if he were deeply puzzled by Junmyeon’s response, the happiness dimming on his face.

“You’re already trained. We could see each other everyday which would be ideal because I…” he paused and Junmyeon realized that perhaps the man was… nervous? “For a year I’ve missed you, longed for you, worked to be a better me  _ for _ you. I wanted to see you,  _ needed _ to see you. I…” The faint blush on his face grew deeper. “I love you and… and you accepted Ginger, my gift. People who love each other get married. Let’s get married.” 

Yixing seemed to feel better after he got the words out. He sat there, smiling again, eyes growing a bit darker as they roamed down Junmyeon’s form from his unkempt hair down to his overgrown toenails.

Junmyeon felt his stomach lurch uncomfortably so he grabbed the warm bottle of soju he’d abandoned earlier off the floor and downed what he presumed must be three shots worth. 

“Don’t you think you owe me some sort of explanation?” he asked, almost not believing he was humoring someone so deranged. It’s what he’d shouted at walls for months whenever Yixing occupied his thoughts too much. “Like why you killed Youngwoon? Why you staged that whole sick…  _ performance _ ?” Junmyeon laughed to himself recalling how terribly afraid he had been that night, how in over his head he was all as a result of wanting to do something good to make all the bad things he’d done worth it. He should run right now like he should’ve back then. He should call the police and hope whoever answered the call didn’t recognize him. 

“He wasn’t invited to the party and he was rude to me,” Yixing said as if it was as obvious as throwing a can into a recycling bin. “But what do you say? We could run away together. I could figure out a way to do that for us. I don’t like it here at all really. What do you think of Spain?” 

“What happened to Jongin?” 

Yixing blinked, hands tightening briefly around the wine bottle.

“I don’t know anyone named Jongin, but I can get our engagement rings soon… hopefully. Forgive me for not having them already. I’ve been very busy.”

“I’m not marrying you!” he shouted, standing up, his words dawning slowly to the other man. “What is the Silver Dragon planning? Tell me.”

Yixing’s hands trembled a bit when he set down the wine on the table, all the joy draining out of him while he turned to look instead at the boxes of Junmyeon’s work.

“You don’t mean that,” Yixing said calmly. “You don’t mean that. Go on. Say you didn’t mean that, Junmyeon.” 

Junmyeon felt the iciness in Yixing’s tone but more than that he felt the sadness. Not once had he thrown any of Yixing’s roses in the trash. He couldn’t throw away Ginger. And he was terrified of Zhang Yixing, so terrified. That’s all he should feel. 

“I didn’t mean it,” he said stiffly, sitting down when it felt like his legs could no longer support him.

“Right. Because you know these police documents are bad for you, bad for your mind. You need happy things, bright things, trophies of my love for you. If my boss found out you were still prying it would be bad. So why don’t you pick up something else? Like… singing. I want you to sing me a song. I dream about it sometimes. I dream about you a lot. I feel… some type of way when it comes to you. Even people around me can’t believe it. It makes me… scared. That’s what it does. That's really why it has taken me so long to face you... because I love you that much. I watch you whenever I can, more than you know.”

But Junmyeon did know. Yixing had said as much in his letters, how late at night he’d sometimes come to the alleyway behind his building to masturbate to what most often was only the sight of his closed window. And that’s what he did now, unbuttoning the trousers of his tuxedo and shoving his hand down his underwear, beginning to tug at himself so quickly it must’ve stung a little bit too. Junmyeon quickly downed the rest of the soju. 

Yixing kept going, Junmyeon silent. They locked eyes just like they had when Yixing had killed Youngwoon, the distance between them this time not as great. 

He shouldn’t have answered the door.

Yixing’s body shivered as he came, eyes rolling to the back of his head he started to giggle a little bit, retracing his hand before walking over to Junmyeon’s side.

“I love spending time with you, Joon. It’s everything like how I imagined.” Junmyeon was speechless as Yixing hesitantly ran his sticky hand through his hair as if he couldn’t believe the man he’d sent all those roses and letters to was real. The man’s fingers felt like fire on his skin but all so quickly the touch was gone. “I’ll come back as soon as I can… but it’s a hectic world out there. Think of me, won’t you?”

Maybe it was because he felt so ashamed that he had to stop himself from nodding. Yixing paused in his tracks when he noticed the tears falling silently down Junmyeon’s face running right over the mess Yixing had left there. Immediately it was like Yixing wanted to soothe him but was also afraid to touch again, promising from a breath away once again that he’d come back, that he shouldn’t cry because he’d come back.

Junmyeon was losing it. He knew he was losing it. He was so lonely but also oddly aroused and he wanted Yixing’s weight on top of him. Yixing looked so handsome in a tuxedo. He wanted Yixing to touch him again but that’s not what he got. Instead he got Ginger’s glass habitat placed gently in his hands, like Yixing could feel his loneliness, understand it. It felt so nice just talking to someone who didn’t despise him or think so little of him, not like he was doing much talking of his own. 

It was only once Yixing reluctantly left that he finally pulled himself back together, setting Ginger back down in a haze. 

He fumbled for the bottle of wine and resolved to rethink his life only starting in the morning. 

***

Taeyeon had always been pretty. It’s something Baekhyun would never deny. But ultimately it was the way she looked upon the world that made him so fascinated and in awe of her. She would sit at her table in the cafeteria with her friends but she would only occasionally converse with them. Her gaze would instead be elsewhere, off in the distance in thought. Taeyeon decided she was going to be somebody and no one would stop her. 

As a middle school student, Baekhyun never imagined that he’d follow her this far, like a small boy running through a field looking up at a soaring eagle. Taeyeon was going to do great things. Taeyeon was already doing great things. And through it all Baekhyun knew he just needed to have faith that at the end of the day no matter where she flew, no matter how many other men she sought company with, she would always eventually return to him. To their bed, to their life as two. 

When he had arrived at her apartment earlier that evening she had gotten angry at him for dressing up as a mime because apparently the Yonsei Halloween party at Club El Dorado wasn’t a costume event. She flung a leather jacket from the stack of clothes he kept there, a leather jacket that was three sizes too big because that leather jacket wasn’t his.

“Oh? It must be my cousin’s then. Sorry,” she said.

Today was the first time Baekhyun had seen Taeyeon since they spent the night together the day she got back from Jeju. They hadn’t really talked either. Truthfully he’d been so caught up in his own head that even if they had talked, it wouldn’t have been a very good conversation. Still, Taeyeon must know that no one cared about her as much as he did.

They had only been at Club El Dorado for half an hour before she started getting approached, giggling drunkenly using Baekhyun as a support as he tried to keep other men from trying to touch her. They acted like he didn’t even exist. It hurt even more knowing that the vast majority of them were probably Yonsei students.

“Oh come on Baek, look at his puppy eyes. I’m gonna dance with him cause a cute face shouldn’t be alone on a night like this.”

So Baekhyun was left alone instead watching as she grinded on the taller man, watched as his hands played with the hem of her short dress, watched as they stumbled out of his view and into the darkness of the couches and booths.

He felt someone sit on the barstool next to him, a man judging by the smell of cologne wafting off of him.

He watched the spot where Taeyeon used to be, another girl standing there instead. She was with a group of her friends. Short. Her hair was light brown and her face was kind of round but she was pretty. Not as pretty as Taeyeon but pretty enough. He could do this.

Turning around to grab the drink he had left on the bar he chugged it all in one go and started counting backwards from fifty. At the end of the day Taeyeon would come back to him, but maybe he wouldn’t have to wait if she knew how it felt to see the one you loved be with someone else.

He let the alcohol seep into his bones as he watched the girl dance and laugh. She was about the same height as Taeyeon too. He could pretend. He could forget about the restaurant and Jongdae. 

But maybe he had chugged his drink too fast, maybe the bartender had made it a little too strong, because when he moved to get up from his stool he was immensely unstable and the smell of that cologne surrounded him as thick arms held him up.

“Don’t freak out,” a voice said as the room started to spin, “we just wanted to have a little fun tonight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OTHER STORIES BY UNUSUAL_TABLE
> 
> [Two Minutes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24045196/chapters/57859369): Jongin was born just two minutes after Kai. It took him a long time to realize he didn’t need to spend the rest of his life trying to catch up. [TWINS!AU - CHANKAI, SEKAI]
> 
> [Bound by Silver](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23604130/chapters/56642974): Master had three simple rules for Wolf to follow. The first was to never go beyond the fence. The second was to never speak to lodgers. The third was to never respond to the howl of the Mountain Spirits that could be heard on nights of the full moon. [WOLF!AU - SEKAI, BAEKYEOL, LAYHAN]
> 
> [Ghost Light](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24366250/chapters/58764295): After Junmyeon’s life falls apart, he retreats to his family’s small home near Daegu. Sequestered in his little house on the hill, he soon finds himself acquainted with an odd mailman named Zhang Yixing. [THEATRE!AU - SULAY]


	39. Act III: Chapter VIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT III: When Yunho's friends come down from Seoul they usually don't stay for very long but Sehun had a feeling that Kai wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Jongdae  
> Scene II - Luhan  
> Scene III - Kyungsoo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Chen did a good job of keeping busy in his new life. It was easy because as a person who naturally talked a lot, now that he was almost constantly surrounded by an array of strange things, it was easy to keep his mouth running and his mind spinning.

It all still seemed so surreal to him from the lessons he received from Luhan to listening to Yixing’s nonsensical musings. Being brought into Sapphire and operating under the direction of the Silver Dragon, Chen felt like he fit in, felt like he was smart for once and someone important, but sometimes he’d get little reminders of what used to be. It would happen whenever Luhan would give him driving directions that took him through his old neighborhood, whenever he’d see high school students milling around places they shouldn’t be late at night, whenever Tao’s songs would play on the radio, or that sting in his chest whenever he’d notice the contacts for his parents and sisters were no longer in his phone.

He had found out from a forgotten newspaper he’d found one night that Chanyeol’s body had washed up on the shoreline, the headline proclaiming a teen had been horrendously murdered. In the weeks following it was harder than usual to keep himself from seeking out Baekhyun just to see him and comfort him even though his presence would only do the opposite. 

_ “It was Phantom, you know,” _ Luhan had told him offhandedly,  _ “but don’t go off trying to avenge him or anything. Yifan doesn’t like you enough yet to spare you if you go around fucking up his plans and I’m getting used to having you around.” _

Even now, several months later, he thought of Chanyeol sometimes. There were so many things he’d wanted to tell him back before he had dropped out of high school so close to the finish line. He didn’t want to think about how Chanyeol had gotten involved in gang activity most likely because of Jongin. He didn’t want to think about how someday on the streets he just might encounter Jongin who, in this new world Chen found himself in, would probably be an enemy.

While he did a good job keeping Baekhyun mostly out of his thoughts, his friend would usually squeeze past his defenses in his dreams. He often dreamt of Baekhyun’s voice, his eyes, joking with him, holding him. He daydreamed of them as middle school students, back when Baekhyun would agree to sing duets with him at a time when he was just discovering that he had a voice he’d like to share with others from a stage. Hearing Baekhyun sing for the first time was what had done it. That was when he couldn’t deny the feelings he had for his former friend. 

It all left him feeling a little lonely but mostly guilty because then his mind replayed  _ that _ night, the night Baekhyun had looked at him with nothing but fear, anger, and heartbreak. But in his new life there was no time for regret. He kept all those thoughts at bay making transactions in dark alleyways and rooms filled with smoke and moving bodies. When it got to grate on him too much all he had to do was call Victoria at Scorpion and he’d receive temporary love and walk away with more than enough money to indulge himself in a few drinks at Super Junior’s.

Chen was surprised when Zhoumi had given him the green light to start business at Club El Dorado but his mind started wandering places he didn’t want it to go when he found out the place was hosting a party for Yonsei students, among usual business. He didn’t know what ever became of Baekhyun’s college prospects but if Baekhyun really did end up applying to Yonsei, he was certain his friend would’ve gotten in. A few scholarships and nothing would be able to stop him. So the very thought that he could run into someone who might have class with Baekhyun or might know Baekhyun or even exist on the same campus as him was a bit suffocating. 

Wandering around the edges of the club, he kept an eye on the time so he wouldn’t keep his scheduled clients waiting. In his downtime he got a decent amount of sales mostly on the lighter stuff from kids who had money to spend and curiosity to satisfy. Girls and boys alike came to dance with him when he put himself out on the dancefloor and when he was by the bar he’d occasionally catch bits of drunken conversations about tests, papers, and hot professors. He would’ve been jealous of the mass of students if he didn’t already feel like a king in the dark heat of the club. With his affiliations, Chen could do whatever he wanted here. The slightly bigger pistol he now carried beneath his jacket might’ve helped boost his ego too. This was the life he lived now. This is what he chose, going to some dead-end college be damned. 

He lost his balance though, lost his center, when he saw the instantly familiar Taeyeon cozied up with a happy and much taller man on one of the couches. Chen stared at her for a long moment until he almost felt nauseous, now afraid to take a look around the rest of the club. Of course  _ she’d _ be here. And if she was here then Baekhyun couldn’t be too far off, following her around like a puppy as he tended to do. But he wouldn’t stick around long enough for that encounter. He’d spent enough time at El Dorado anyway. It was Halloween, after all. There were many more places he needed to get to tonight. 

Taking a deep breath, he retreated towards the back through a door where the themed decor of the club gave way to cinderblock, concrete floors, and obnoxious red light bulbs. He stayed there in that corridor, taking a quick sip from the water fountain when he noticed movement further down from him by a staircase he knew went the back way up to some private entertainment rooms, the back exit of the club just beyond it. 

“I don’t get it, why can’t we just stay here?” he heard someone say.

“Because at Hoon’s place we can ditch him in the park easily. Wait, take another picture.”

Chen continued his careful paces down the hall, slightly curious as to what were most likely college guys were talking about. One came off the staircase, stepping back to lean against the opposite wall of the hallway. He noticed him from a sale he made earlier. Now he held a camera in his hands. He remembers selling him quite a bit. All party drugs. Three other bodies emerged from the staircase as well, two dragging behind them the third who was clearly unconscious.

“Oh, Chen!” the one holding the camera said once he spotted him, turning around to wave. “Really nice stuff you gave us. Definitely did the trick on this kid.”

There was a talk Chen’s dad had given him in elementary school about consequences. It was the day he had been caught cheating on a simple math test, Baekhyun’s test to be exact. His friend hadn’t talked to him for almost an entire week after that. Baekhyun had come running back to him saying he was sorry that he had gotten so mad and offered to help him review the class materials.

But it was his dad’s stern voice ringing in his ears when two of the students shifted the limp body around in their holds to reveal Baekhyun, whose pants and underwear were shoved down to his thighs, black hair hanging over his closed eyes.

“Hey,” one of them said, a bit irritated. “Take a picture, it lasts longer. We sure got ourselves a beauty this time.” 

It took a moment for Chen to realize that Baekhyun was now being propped up by one of them for him to see better.

“What happened to him?” he asked, voice calm even though his skin had turned ice cold. 

“Can’t recognize your own product in action? Works like a charm,” the boy who now had his hands free said, rubbing his nose with the sleeve of his Yonsei jacket. Chen forced out a small laugh.

“Yeah, I suppose I can’t. But you guys can’t take him, he’s with me.” 

The three boys were much taller than him, the one holding Baekhyun had a square chin and dark red hair. The one in the school jacket was a bit shorter, but still much taller than he was, the one with the camera now holding it tighter with a cautious sneer, longer black hair tied back. In an ordinary situation, Chen would’ve thought him handsome. Their expressions all quickly changed from ones of amusement and suspicion to anger. The smell of alcohol covered them and their pupils were larger than they should’ve been. 

“No he’s not,” the long-haired one said, “he came in with some bitch. If you want a piece you can join us. You’re a cool guy.” 

Chen took a few steps closer. He was scared and angry but more than that he felt powerful and that was what kept his calm mask in place. Tonight he practically owned this club. Henry was just a few floors away and these guys could get banned from El Dorado for life if he wanted them to be.

“I mean it, scram. Go find someone else.” The one not holding Baekhyun moving closer, towering over him. Chen’s fear heightened along with his ego. 

“You have no idea who I am,” Chen said.

“And you have no idea who  _ we _ are,” the boy said, jerking Chen closer by the collar of his shirt, “and if you weren’t so pretty yourself I would’ve beat the shit out of you already. You know, I’m not too keen on sharing anyway.” Chen gripped the hand that was now pulling at his shirt so hard his heels were beginning to lift off the ground, eyes flitting over to Baekhyun who was now being hauled over the tallest boy’s shoulder, distracting him from the punch that landed on the side of his face sending him crashing to the floor.

It was only because he was panicking, only because Baekhyun was here, and only because of the perception he had of his new life that he pulled out his gun. It was only because the student towering ahead of him looked like he might’ve been reaching for his own, only because Baekhyun was almost out the back door, only because he didn’t truly understand what he was doing that he pulled the trigger again, again, and again until his bullets ran out. 

***

Luhan leaned to look over Yifan’s shoulder, his own workbook abandoned in favor of looking at the documents Yifan was reading.

“Do your exercises, Luhan. You can’t understand this.”

“How do you know I can’t?” Yifan sighed but Luhan knew he was in a good mood. He had been ever since Yixing called earlier in the day.

“What’s this word?” he asked pointing at a long string of characters. Luhan looked over them running all of the things he had memorized through his mind. Business terms were still beyond him although when spoken he was well on his way to understanding them. Luhan was sharp. Yifan wouldn’t have kept him around this long if he weren’t.

When Yifan had bought him six years ago, Luhan could only read numbers and do basic addition and subtraction along with sloppily writing his own name. He was illiterate, only knew of the history he had been told in the few stories that were whispered to him when he was very young and found it difficult to grasp the concept of faraway places past his constant hunger.

Since then he had become bilingual but his Korean had been well on the way before Yifan stumbled into his life, enchanted by his gaze through a strategically lit window. He could read and write both Korean and Chinese now though only at the level of an elementary schooler at best. Yifan grew frustrated with him when Luhan neglected his independent studies but still bought him the fantasy books Luhan liked to read and gave him free access to an account for audiobooks to help. 

“I don’t know but it doesn’t matter. Yixing should’ve notified me by now. I really don’t know what’s taking him so long to get back. Doing a hit like that at such a high profile wedding was a risky choice and you know sometimes Yixing has problems being discreet.” Yifan hummed under his breath.

“He was asking me quite a bit about weddings earlier. I think they fascinate him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he took some wine and cake on his way out to celebrate on his own. Bastard.” 

Luhan leaned forward even more to rest his chin on Yifan’s shoulder, hands sliding down to massage his chest. Rumors were already spreading around quickly about what everyone believed to be Yixig’s imaginary love interest but few knew the truth. It was sweet in a way but it also made Luhan worried. Yixing operated the best when everything was carefully planned and regulated but Yifan had been letting him roam with a longer leash ever since coming to Korea. It had been a long time since Yixing’s issues had gotten in the way of him being useful to Yifan, but if the man found out that Junmyeon was very real and very much a security risk… the Silver Dragon would not hesitate to remove him. That would upset Yixing likely to the point of being more unstable than he had in years. That wasn’t good for anyone. 

“Let me kill Siwon… when the time comes,” Luhan said, shifting his mind to other things now that Yixing had removed their grating police commissioner problem. Murdered at his daughter’s wedding, Phantom now lost their most powerful ally in law enforcement. “And Hangeng too. Without Siwon he won’t have anyone else to fuck him.”

“Should I be worried that you’re so eager?” Yifan asked, hating it whenever they got on this topic. 

“You act like I’ve never done it before.”

“And I plan to continue doing so.” Yifan reached up to run a hand through Luhan’s hair, sighing a bit when he felt the smaller’s lips brushed a kiss behind his ear. “If I had it my way your feet would never touch the ground. If I had it my way you’d never have to lift a finger again… but you’re stubborn.”

“If I were just a doll sitting on a shelf you’d grow tired of me sooner or later. You know that.” Yifan set the papers down on his desk, eyes trailing idly over the mahogany lining the walls of the room and to their reflection in the window.

“Perhaps.”

Luhan looked up expectantly when he heard his phone ring. He walked over to where his lap desk sat on the floor, phone laying on the rug beside it. 

Chen was calling.

*** 

Kyungsoo sat on the couch of the hotel suite gazing at Seoul’s sunrise through open curtains. He’d kept the floor lamp on overnight, not wanting complete darkness to take over the room. He had dozed off a few times but only for a little while. He looked once again at the bedside table, the writing on the hotel notepad barely visible in this light from this distance. For what must have been the dozenth time, he contemplated ripping the sheet away, crumpling it up, and tossing it into the bin. Baekhyun would never be the wiser. Of course, that hinged on how much Baekhyun already knew.

The text from Baekhyun’s phone had come just after eleven in the evening. Still upset with him over Taeyeon matters, it had been surprising seeing his phone light up with his only friend’s name. He had been nervous to open it but did so anyway atop all of his open school books and empty candy wrappings. It was the simplicity of the text that had been so alarming:  _ “Twins Hotel. Room 1511. Come quickly.”  _

Baekhyun wasn’t hurt when he’d found him. He was just laying there out cold on the large bed, his subtle Halloween outfit rumpled but not damaged. It was a luxurious hotel, one Kyungsoo couldn’t imagine Baekhyun ever stepping foot in. The note left on the bedside table was what occupied his thoughts through the night: 

_ “Baekhyun was given something that made him sleep. He is not hurt and should be awake again by the early morning. He is unharmed. The room is already paid for. Take care of him for me.  _

_ \- Jongdae” _

Kyungsoo stood up and walked quietly over to the note again, fingers lingering over the signed name still unsure whether to be disgusted or concerned. Mostly, he was just confused. If Baekhyun had intentionally sought out and found Jongdae, no matter how upset he was with Kyungsoo, he wouldn’t have kept him in the dark about it. Would he? Not even Jongdae’s own parents knew where he was. He could’ve gotten himself into anything. He could be dangerous. He’d hurt Baekhyun and run off. For all they knew, he could even be involved in whatever happened with Chanyeol and Jongin. It was impossible to know for sure but Baekhyun, in all their conversations, never seemed to care much about that. He just wanted to go back to the past. Day after day, he only ever spoke of the past.

Beside him, suddenly Baekhyun stirred, head moving slightly, and Kyungsoo felt his stomach drop in nervousness. He moved to sit on the plush and lavish white bedspread, hand coming to rest on his friend’s shoulder. 

“Baekhyun?” he nudged softly. “Baekhyun, are you awake?” Baekhyun muttered something unintelligible before expanding his body into a stretch and turning on his side. “Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo said again, pulling on his shoulder and with another groan, Baekhyun slowly opened his eyes, squinting at the light of the nearby lamp.

“Kyungsoo?” he said groggily, at the moment seemingly forgetting that they weren’t exactly on speaking terms. “Fuck, am I hungover? I’m sorry.” Baekhyun gripped his head like it was hurting but straightened more as he took in the space around him. “Where are we?”

“Twins Hotel,” Kyungsoo said gently. “It’s a place downtown. Do you remember anything from last night? It was Halloween.” Baekhyun looked down at his hands then around the room again.

“How did we end up here? What’s this about?” he asked then, irritation blooming each second his confusion lingered. Kyungsoo tightened his hands in the sheets, prepared when Baekhyun eventually sent a disapproving glare in his direction. “What did you do?”

Kyungsoo took that moment to stand up, resolve hardening when he lifted up the notepad, placing it on Baekhyun’s lap. His friend looked at it for a long time, rough grip on it morphing into a kind of caress, like the paper was made of gold. 

“I don’t understand…” Baekhyun whispered. “Jongdae… he was here? Did you see him? What the fuck happened, Kyungsoo?” The panic was clearly settling into his features now, the previous glare turning into a look too close to desperation. Kyungsoo tried his best to calm the bitterness pulsing in his veins. At the very least, it sounded like Baekhyun hadn’t deliberately gone out to find Jongdae. It had all instead been a questionable twist of fate. 

“I didn’t see him. He texted me from your phone telling me to come here. When I arrived, it was just you. Door unlocked. Note on the table. He brought you here, I presume.” 

“And you didn’t look for him?” Baekhyun snapped back immediately and at that, Kyungsoo felt something he was rarely driven to. Anger churning with the anxiety in his gut.

“And leave you here? I was worried about you. Why would I go chasing after someone who doesn’t want to be found? Do you think I care about you so little?” At first Baekhyun looked like he was going to say something back, something that would no doubt sting. But he didn’t. Instead he held himself, pulled the sheets back, and began inspecting his body. The action somehow made Kyungsoo feel even sicker. 

“I… I can’t remember anything. I went out with Taeyeon. We went to a club. But I c-can’t remember…” 

His earlier feeling evaporating, Kyungsoo quickly sat down and brought Baekhyun into his embrace, the sky gradually coming to full brightness in front of them, not a single cloud to be seen. Baeekhyun only repeated the same things: that he was out with Taeyeon, couldn’t remember what happened after that, and that he was sorry for getting upset until excusing himself to the bathroom.

“I just want to check my skin,” he said.

Baekhyun’s phone lit up, until that point forgotten by his wallet and apartment key by the television. Kyungsoo stared at it but made no move to pick it up. Baekhyun’s reaction several minutes later made it clear what the message had been. Freshly showered and wrapped in a hotel bathrobe, he finally burst into tears. 

Taeyeon had left him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers!!!!!! The semester and my 30 page paper are over and out of the way so I am back with more fan fiction goodness coming at you regularly over these winter months!!!!! So sorry I vanished there. Turns out, you need to read a lot in grad school... and write a lot in grad school... so much that even when I get a moment to myself the joints in my hands physically hurt from all the typing. Old age, is that you???? SO HOPEFULLY YOU LIKED THIS CHAPTER IF ANYONE IS EVEN STILL READING THIS UGGGHHHH~~~~~
> 
> OTHER STORIES BY UNUSUAL_TABLE
> 
> [Two Minutes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24045196/chapters/57859369): Jongin was born just two minutes after Kai. It took him a long time to realize he didn’t need to spend the rest of his life trying to catch up. [TWINS!AU - CHANKAI, SEKAI]
> 
> [Bound by Silver](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23604130/chapters/56642974): Master had three simple rules for Wolf to follow. The first was to never go beyond the fence. The second was to never speak to lodgers. The third was to never respond to the howl of the Mountain Spirits that could be heard on nights of the full moon. [WOLF!AU - SEKAI, BAEKYEOL, LAYHAN]
> 
> [Ghost Light](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24366250/chapters/58764295): After Junmyeon’s life falls apart, he retreats to his family’s small home near Daegu. Sequestered in his little house on the hill, he soon finds himself acquainted with an odd mailman named Zhang Yixing. [THEATRE!AU - SULAY]


	40. Act III: Chapter IX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT III: When Yunho's friends come down from Seoul they usually don't stay for very long but Sehun had a feeling that Kai wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Yixing  
> Scene II - Sehun  
> Scene III - Jongin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Yixing didn’t like Luhan but he could see why everyone thought he was attractive whenever the elder sat gazing up at him surrounded by corpses.

“What the hell are you looking at?” Luhan sneered. 

“Nothing.”

“Fucking freak,” Luhan muttered before turning around to resume his work. 

There was really no reason for Yixing to still be here. All three of the night’s victims were dead before he even came on the scene and Luhan had thoroughly dismembered them well enough on his own. Yixing had already pulled from the bodies what was of interest to him. As for disposal, he supposed that is where he could come in handy even if Luhan was the better teacher. 

“Is it… is it done?” Yixing grinned at the sound of Chen’s voice. He almost thought he wouldn’t make it back in time from disposing of his tiny friend, the one who had supposedly gotten him into this mess in the first place. 

“No, Chen. Not at all. Come closer to see what a proper dismemberment looks like,” Yixing said, beckoning his roommate over. The boy shuffled his way down the narrow hallway into the open space, face pale and eyes red. Yixing didn’t really know what he was so shaken up about. Maybe they were tears of relief and the skin was just a side effect of the basement’s lighting. 

“Did I fuck up?” Chen asked and Yixing tried to hold back a giggle but failed.

“Not really. One kid is the son of a government official, one doesn’t even go to Yonsei, and the other one’s parents are under Yifan’s control even if they don’t know it,” he said holding up the three IDs between his fingers for Chen to look at. 

“Plus, no one is finding these guys,” Luhan added from below. “Don’t worry, Chen. Just don’t let it happen again. You’re lucky Yifan was amused by this.” 

“He… he was?” Chen asked, looking away finally from the gory scene in front of him.

“If he weren’t, you’d be the one I’d be stuffing into plastic bags around now and Yixing’s stuff would already be all over your bed.” Yixing grinned at Luhan’s comment and marveled at how Chen’s face somehow seemed to drain of color even more. 

“I think it’s time for a celebration!” he decided to say. “First kill is always memorable. Aren’t I right, Luhan?” The man ignored him. Chen gulped and stepped carefully at the bloody plastic sheets laid out on the floor before sliding down against the wall well out of the splatter zone even though all the sawing was done for the night.

“Who was… who was your first… you know…” Chen asked the both of them.

“Some idiot tried to mug me on the wrong day,” Luhan said casually, Chen nodding in half understanding. Chen was oddly cute like this looking all nervous like he was about to shit his pants.

“My mother,” Yixing said with a sigh. The other two fell silent.

“Really?” Luhan asked, turning around. “I didn’t know that. You really _ are _ a freak.” He frowned, taking a few steps forward to grab a hand that was sitting on the edge of Luhan’s plastic workspace. 

“Don’t say it like that,  _ Lulu _ . She asked for it. My father didn’t believe me though… so he sent me away…” The hand he held was white as chalk now drained of blood. They reminded him of Junmyeon’s hands because he was fairer than most breathing things.

He couldn’t help but think though, as Luhan instructed Chen to grab a nearby hose, how much prettier Junmyeon would look in Luhan’s place. It hadn’t been long since he parted with the man but the way he had cried, the way his eyes sparkled a bit as he let himself go was intoxicating. Junmyeon would look so good kept in this basement, he’d look so good with streaks of red across his white skin, far more beautiful than Luhan could ever hope to be.

Yixing slowly slid two of the fingers of the severed hand into his mouth imagining the possibilities. Everything around him disappeared as arousal rippled through him, the brittle fingernails scraping against the roof of his mouth.

He had definitely waited too long to visit his Joon. But it would have to be like this for a while yet. Yifan kept giving him so much work to do.

***

“Got yourself a new muse I see!” Sehun jumped on his stool, whipping his head around to see Yerim flipping through his sketchbook and glancing at the larger piece he had displayed in front of him.

“Hey! Give that back! I’m serious…” but his voice had little aggression behind it. Yerim was just playing around and the rest of the art room had already cleared out for lunch. He turned back around and continued what he was doing as she flipped through the pages.

“Is he real?”

Sehun didn’t have to turn around to see what Yerim was talking about. Aside from one person, Kai, his sketchbook was filled with landscapes and still lifes. 

“Yeah, of course,” he said dismissively. 

“He’s cute.” 

Sehun paused, thumb just about to smudge some of the charcoal. It was true he had become somewhat infatuated with Kai’s appearance. He rarely drew portraits of people but the few times he did their beauty grew in his eyes. He assumed it was only natural. The color of Kai’s hair, the bridge of his nose, the corner of his mouth, the darkness in his eyes. Part of him was embarrassed that he’d spent so much time staring at their newest guest but now he had enough images stored in his mind to keep himself occupied.

Today he drew Kai as he had seen him out in the clearing after he had fallen asleep, red plaid blanket pulled over his form, mouth open slightly. The scene had been beautiful, Kai had been beautiful. It didn’t bother Sehun to admit it to himself because he found beauty in a lot of things yet nothing had puzzled him more than Kai. Usually Yunho’s friends would mill around the house occasionally pampering Sehun until Key would whisk them away or they’d drive on their own. They’d tell Sehun stories and buy him things from downtown Busan. They all generally seemed like they had an agenda or a purpose for being here but Kai was fluctuating in place, never coming or going consistently, always staring into the distance. Key would still drop by but Kai didn’t go out nearly as much as their other visitors.

“I suppose he is,” Sehun admitted and Yerim dragged over a stool to sit next to him, flinging an arm over his shoulders.

“Sehun. My dearest friend. What are you not telling me?” He shrugged away a little bit but smiled all the same.

“He’s been staying at my house for maybe… two weeks now.”

“Another one from Seoul?” He nodded. “What’s his name?”

“Kai… Kim Kai.” He could feel Yerim staring at him. She shoved his sketchbook in front of his face and opened to a page that, admittedly, made him a little embarrassed. It was a drawing he had done while Kai was in the hospital. It was one of him standing in a field on a nice summer day, smiling, hair lifted slightly by the breeze, arms stretched around a beach ball. It wasn’t an image taken from Sehun’s memory, of course. It was purely imaginary and was so different from all of his other sketches of Kai. He didn’t want it to stay imaginary though.

“You’re blushing,” Yerim accused. 

“No I’m not.”

“You’re as white as a ghost. I can  _ always _ tell when you’re blushing, Sehun.” He put the charcoal down with a sigh of defeat. The next class period would be starting soon anyway.

“I just don’t want him to see it. He doesn’t seem to be the type who likes those types of things.”

“I think he’d like it. People like to know how they’re seen in the eyes of others especially if they’re not too confident about themselves. In all the other sketches he looks kind of glum.” Sehun slid off his stool and grabbed his backpack, Yerim exiting the room closely behind him.

“I know… and I don’t want him to be that way but… he’s complicated and he’s sad. I think he lost someone recently.” Yerim grabbed his sleeve just as they were about to part down different hallways.

“Give him the picture. I swear he’ll like it. Maybe it will even cheer him up a bit.” She turned away with a wink, leaving Sehun in the middle of the hallway deep in thought.

***

Key’s car was a lot different from Xiah’s. It was old but bright with rock music playing from an iPod hastily plugged in and hanging off the dashboard. Empty wrappers and bags of junk food littered the floor and random pieces of various weaponry would occasionally roll out from under the seats.

“Youngmin wants you back in Seoul,” Key said. Kai had his forehead resting against the window. The lines of the road rushed by before him. They would be back at the house soon.

“When?”

“He wants you back in Seoul but Yunho wants you to stay here. So really, I don't know.” Kai sat up with a sigh, stretching in his seat before leaning back. “The smaller gangs around Seoul are starting to act up again. Sapphire has taken over some of our territory and… they’ve started to notice you haven’t been around. Yunho wants you to stay here because the assets they want to keep untouched the most, they keep with us here in Busan. The issue with Sapphire is more severe than they previously thought. It’s like they’re getting outside help either from the cops or some other group.” Kai let another wave of coldness bite through him. It rained earlier that day. It made his knees ache.

Kai’s job in Seoul and his job in Busan were quite similar. Busan is where Phantom imports and exports weapons handled by Donghae and narcotics handled by Hyukjae. Key helped the whole process of organizing pickups and dropoffs and Kai just followed him around since he was technically only a temporary addition to their little but efficient group. It was relaxing. They didn’t have to deal with too many people outside of the shipping yards but Key said having Kai stand behind him made his argument better whenever an argument arose.

In Seoul, Kai worked with Kyuhyun. They delivered weapons to where they needed to go and organized them as they came in. It wasn’t until Phantom started having problems with local gangs that Kai’s job changed. He turned into Minho’s reinforcement, much like he was for Key, but in Seoul the arguments were ongoing and heated. The once insignificant and unorganized street gangs were being brought together by Sapphire, making it increasingly harder for Phantom to operate. 

Together with Minho, Kai had gotten rid of more people than he cared to count at the time. He had been too angry to care. Whatever conflicting feelings Minho had on their new purpose were taken out on Taemin though Kai never saw him much after his old friend turned to heroin. Even before that Taemin always looked like he was on the edge of death but nonetheless made it clear that his fix and Minho were more important than anything else.

“Yunho will need a lot more than four people if our stocks here are that important to him,” he said and looked over at Key after the seconds ticked by with no reply. “Unless you’re talking about something else?” After more silence followed he decided to drop the subject.

Sehun was already sitting outside on the porch when they pulled up in front of the house with two cups of bubble tea by his side. Even though in the car Key was frowning as if debating in his mind about what he should or shouldn’t say, a smile bloomed out of nowhere as he stepped out of the car. Sehun stood up and smiled too, of course, but his eyes were directed at the car window Kai was sitting behind.

“I got you some bubble tea today,” he said once Kai willed himself out of the car and onto the damp ground. “You should drink it before the ice melts. Minseok says he really wants to meet you by the way.” He stood there awkwardly holding out the cup until Kai took it while Key lit up a cigarette.

“Making friends now, are we Sehun?” Key said smiling around a stream of smoke. “I’ve seen lots of gifts given to you but never the other way around. And the  _ great Kim Kai _ drinking bubble tea, what a sight!”

Friends. It shouldn’t be a word that carried so much weight but Kai didn’t like the way Sehun looked at him then at the mention of it. He didn’t like it when a few hours later as they were sitting in their bedroom, Sehun asked if that’s what they were now. 

_ Friends. _

And how was he supposed to respond to that? Nothing good ever happened to those who chose to associate with him yet here he was in Sehun’s room on Sehun’s bed looking longingly at the life displayed in a middle school yearbook photos Sehun was proudly showing him. 

“Maybe,” Kai decided to say. “Maybe we could be… friends.”

And he didn’t know it was possible for Sehun to look so happy. It’s what made him realize that he shouldn’t have said that no matter how happy it made him too, even if his entire life here with Sehun was all essentially make believe. Soon he’d be going back to Seoul just like all the other visitors Sehun talked about, the visitors that he always remembered but who likely would never remember him. 

That night, Kai saw Sehun in his dreams for the first time and he woke up feeling cold even though the images flashing behind his eyes were ones of fire and destruction. It wasn’t until after he looked over to where Sehun was still sleeping, unharmed, that he realized two extra blankets had been placed close to the edge of his bed. He took both and wrapped them around himself allowing the extra warmth to lull him back into another shallow slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OTHER STORIES BY UNUSUAL_TABLE
> 
> [Two Minutes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24045196/chapters/57859369): Jongin was born just two minutes after Kai. It took him a long time to realize he didn’t need to spend the rest of his life trying to catch up. [TWINS!AU - CHANKAI, SEKAI]
> 
> [Bound by Silver](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23604130/chapters/56642974): Master had three simple rules for Wolf to follow. The first was to never go beyond the fence. The second was to never speak to lodgers. The third was to never respond to the howl of the Mountain Spirits that could be heard on nights of the full moon. [WOLF!AU - SEKAI, BAEKYEOL, LAYHAN]
> 
> [Ghost Light](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24366250/chapters/58764295): After Junmyeon’s life falls apart, he retreats to his family’s small home near Daegu. Sequestered in his little house on the hill, he soon finds himself acquainted with an odd mailman named Zhang Yixing. [THEATRE!AU - SULAY]


	41. Act III: Chapter X

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT III: When Yunho's friends come down from Seoul they usually don't stay for very long but Sehun had a feeling that Kai wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Sehun  
> Scene II - Jongdae  
> Scene III - Junmyeon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Sehun had never gone through his Saturday morning schedule so quickly in his life. His usual fifteen minute bike ride to the local market took ten, and his usual shopping time was reduced from twenty minutes to five though he had gotten yelled at a number of times by the adults behind the stalls for running. He all but dumped everything in the kitchen, much to Seohyun’s annoyance, before taking off once more to complete his paper route. By the time he got home again, Kai was walking down the stairs with his now noticeably black roots fighting back the bleached strands, the bags under his eyes not as prominent as they used to be. He turned and greeted Sehun like he’d been doing the past several days.

“Morning.”

“Morning!” Kai stood at the bottom of the stairs, fingers twisting over the pockets of the sweatpants Sehun had given him to wear. The insides were lined with fleece. That combined with Kai’s usual black turtleneck and one of Sehun’s old coats, also lined with fleece, would be perfect to prepare for the day’s activities. Sehun had some doubts Kai would even follow through with the plans they’d made a few nights prior so seeing the other boy already prepared without him having to drag him out of bed made him more motivated than he already had been. 

“You look sweaty,” Kai said, looking over him even after he spoke with his more-quiet-than-usual morning voice. It was a relatively new development, Kai looking at him with something other than emptiness, and it still unnerved Sehun to the core. He felt himself start to sweat even more, mind racing to figure out what he was going to say originally.

“It’s… it’s nothing. You wanna go outside now?” The two of them headed out to the front together where Sehun’s bike had been left on the ground in his rush to get inside and a second bike was chained to the inside of the fence. Kai had tried to only mention in passing that he didn’t know how to ride a bike but that new piece of information had gripped Sehun’s thoughts almost completely. The two of them had spent all that time taking walks, playing catch, and sitting around when they could’ve spent all that time accomplishing something far more important. 

“It’s really not as hard as it looks,” Sehun said, bringing the bike upright, “and once you learn I hear you never forget.” He looked up at Kai who thankfully had moved his gaze from him over to the bike.

“Yeah… I’ve heard that too.” There was a slight breeze that blew more leaves in their direction towards the porch. The fiery reds and oranges they’d been in October had turned brown in November, crunching at every step they took from the small yard out to the dirt road.

Yerim’s non-stop teasing at school only made him more hyper aware around Kai. Kai made him nervous in an odd sort of way, probably because Yerim would insist on talking about him on a daily basis. He wondered what Kai would think if he knew he was the topic of conversation so much.

Sehun still hadn’t shown him any of his sketches. Instead he actually got into the habit of keeping them hidden deep in his desk in the off chance Kai decided to lightly snoop around. It wasn’t easy, though, to avoid staring when they’d play catch. Kai seemed to like the rhythm of the ball going back and forth and sometimes Sehun thought Kai forgot he was even passing to someone because he’d start to stare off into space until he accidentally missed. He also found it hard not to stare when he’d wake up in the morning before Kai who was sleeping more soundly than before. Now it was only one or two nights a week his nightmares would wake him up. When this happened, Kai let Sehun sit next to him on the bed and they’d watch an episode of Pokemon or One Piece sometimes accompanied with a cup of tea until Kai muttered a small “thanks” and they’d both go back to bed.

They did talk more now about small things. It would mostly be Sehun recalling boring stories of things happening at school, gossip he’d overheard, and Kai would sometimes add in commentary.

_ “But this must all seem uninteresting to you,”  _ Sehun would always say,  _ “nothing interesting really happens here.” _

_ “I like simple stories,” _ Kai would respond.

Sometimes, maybe for a few hours, rarely for a full day, Kai would shut him out again. He’d lose his energy, wouldn’t want to talk, wouldn’t want to eat, and it was harder for him to sleep the nights he got this way but Sehun would still ask if he needed anything or if he was ok. He didn’t want to avoid Kai when he tried to push him away so he thought maybe a steady stream of questions would keep a connection between them and Kai wouldn’t slip off into his mind to where he couldn’t get back out easily.

“So you just sit like this and kind of… balance? It’s hard to explain. But if you keep your balance in the center then just start to pedal forward… or maybe first if you try to stand up a little bit and just balance in place with the pedals horizontal like this,” he said, steadying himself on the wobbly bike. Kai still looked confused. “I mean… yeah… just try to feel it out for yourself.”

Kai gripped the handlebars before lowering himself down onto the seat but couldn’t keep his feet off the ground for more than a few seconds before he’d start to tilt over. Sehun moved to put one hand on the back of the seat and the other on the handle just how Yunho had done for him when he was much younger but his breath got caught in his throat when he realized how close to Kai that made him and it was all really Yerim’s fault that he noticed the smooth skin on his neck that was mostly hidden by his shirt. It was also probably Yerim’s fault that he wanted to see more, see how it settled over his collarbones, see how the natural light hit the curves at different times of day, see how it differed from the way it looked in the dull light of their room. It was Yerim’s fault for voicing that Kai was so handsome. 

At some point while Sehun was lost in his thoughts, Kai found his balance and tried to pedal forward causing Sehun to lose his grip on the handle bar. The decrease in weight that came with the tilt of the bike not a second after caught Sehun off guard and both of them went tumbling to the ground. Dirt rose up around them and Sehun groaned at the dull pain in his back and head before he realized what had just happened.

“I… I’m sorry Kai! I lost my footing and-” when he tilted his head up he saw Kai’s face pressed into his stomach, hands gripping the sides of his jacket and he  _ shook  _ releasing the most beautiful laughter Sehun had ever heard. When Kai propped himself up on his elbows and continued to laugh, all Sehun could do was stare again because compared to the picture he had drawn, Kai’s smile was so warm and big and kind that there was no way he could’ve captured it correctly with charcoal, with pencil, with paint, with  _ anything _ .

“Look… look at us, Sehun,” he said after his laughter died down. “Maybe I’m a little too old to be learning how to ride bikes.” The heat of Kai’s breath just tickled his nose because he was so close and the clouds were trotting over his head, and the smell of the fallen leaves added to the natural scent of the soil beneath them. Sehun laughed too.

“You’ll learn. I’m the best teacher!” Kai gave him a funny look and plopped to lay down beside him. The movement caused Kai’s clothes to shift a little and with the bend of his wrist, the scars there on his wrists peeked out from beneath his sleeves. A constant reminder. 

“Maybe, but learning how to ride a bike is something kids do. I missed out on it. I was actually really looking forward to trying so… thanks, Sehun. Thanks a lot.” Sehun was glad they were both facing the sky because he could feel his own palms getting sweaty as his insides started dancing.

“We’re still kids though,” he responded eventually. “Just because you get to run around Seoul with Yunho doesn’t mean you’re not a kid.” Neither of them seemed to care that they were still laying in the middle of the road.

“I guess… we are still kids,” Kai said softly. Sehun turned to the side to see that his friend was no longer smiling but before he could say anything else, the other boy got up and began to brush the dirt off of his clothes. “I want to try again.”

***

Zhoumi only cared about numbers because numbers indicated results. He didn’t care if you were a asshole, didn’t care if you were a saint, didn’t care if you were old and deaf or a Girl Scout as long as you brought in good results.

When Luhan introduced Chen to Zhoumi back in late December the previous year, the older man hadn’t laughed at his jokes and hadn’t seemed impressed at all with the tough front he’d put on. He didn’t even call him by his name until people started saying he was, supposedly, a natural. The day Zhoumi assigned him to handle all of the narcotics deals happening around and within Scorpion, Chen felt like he accomplished something great. That feeling was the complete opposite of today.

“You’re losing my customers,” Zhoumi said now, matter-of-factly. So much time had passed but even now Chen didn’t know much about his boss. He had only seen him not sitting behind his desk a handful of times. Luhan mentioned once that he was good at drinking, Yixing said he was good with computers, and Victoria said he dropped out of business school but she didn’t know which one. Nevertheless, Zhoumi didn’t seem like a bad person. He was focused and didn’t like bullshit. Chen had been ok with that.

“I’ve been… rethinking my strategy.”

“Henry said you showed up to El Dorado on a Saturday night with only hallucinogens.” Zhoumi’s office was very different in the daytime. Chen was actually surprised he’d been called in so early. Breakfast pastries were still sitting in the windows of shops as he walked through the winding streets.

“It’s always mostly college students there.”

“And?”

It had been hard for him to accept at first that he had harmed Baekhyun again even if indirectly. Chen never really thought about the things he sold, he just focused on the fact that he sold them.

The faces of the three boys he had killed were on the news. It was reported that they had gone missing. Their family and friends were optimistic that they would be found but when the TV was off, all he could think about was Baekhyun and what would’ve happened to him if he hadn’t shown up when he did. He thought about how maybe he wasn’t much better than those boys had been. But he needed to see Baekhyun again. That's the reason he'd been offering to take El Dorado every night but hadn’t seen him since. Baekhyun had never been the type to go to parties. The fact that he had visited El Dorado at all was surprising.

“I’m trying to cut back on some of the harder… more dangerous stuff… at least for El Dorado. They’re young and with softer drugs they’ll buy longer because they’ll live longer. They’ll get their friends to take it with them too.”

Maybe he kept thinking about Baekhyun because he still couldn’t think of himself as a murderer. He couldn’t imagine being sentenced for such a crime. The sequence of events at the club that night were a blur to him. It was  _ his _ hand,  _ his _ weapon, but in his memory it didn’t feel like  _ his _ body. What Luhan and Yixing did, that was the crime. All he did was drive the car and carry the shovels. He never touched the bodies. That's what he told himself, that and that the three boys had attacked him and Baekhyun. It was self defense. He could always say it was self defense.

“I spend a lot of money for the purpose of giving product to dealers like you and if you refuse to sell it then the money I spent on it is not being earned back. You see why this is an issue, I’m sure.” Zhoumi wasn’t mad. Not yet. Zhoumi liked to find solutions. Arguments were a waste of his time.

“I don’t want our younger customers to get addicted to this stuff. Scorpion is different. You’ve seen my numbers. At least for El Dorado let me try something new.”

“And if a someone travels all the way to El Dorado to get his hands on something more interesting and you refuse to give it to him, do you know what happens?” Chen curled his fingers into his knees. “Worst case scenario, he kills you and steals everything you have on you. That’s a lot of money lost even if you’re only carrying the basics. Best case scenario is he leaves you and switches to one of our other buyers but it’s a lot more likely he’ll switch to doing business with Phantom and the thought of that happening upsets me.”

“I can… I-”

“And if it took a stupid slip of the trigger for you to realize how many people you’re leading to their grave every single night, you have a lot more to learn, Chen, and I do not have the patience to teach you while you go through a moral crisis.” There was a knock on the door. “So get me my money before I give you to Victoria and make it back that way."

***

Junmyeon got a job at a local convenience store the day before he received his third scorpion on his doorstep from Yixing and agreed to meet with a colleague of Boa’s the day after he received his fourth. It was really just a precaution because while he hadn’t seen Yixing since that charged encounter, he still felt like he was being watched. While some sick, drunken part of him got some type of strange thrill from this knowledge, the sensible side of him, the one that dominated most of the time, told him that in order to get back on his feet, Yixing couldn’t be part of his life.

He wasn’t oblivious to the things happening around Seoul. Even if it weren't for Boa’s calls to check in on him, he would’ve noticed the increase in gang violence in certain neighborhoods. He tried not to think about how these escalations occurred when Yixing’s gifts stopped coming for a string of a few days. Nevertheless, a year too late in Junmyeon’s view, hours before their agreed upon time and miles away from their agreed location, the Investigation Bureau had been opening up his old case files and the officer leading the investigation was currently standing a few feet away from him in the back room of the convenience store surrounded by a new order of toilet paper. Junmyeon tried not to let his anger and fear show on his face.

“So you’re the legendary rookie? As Boa might have told you, my name is Lee Sungmin. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Junmyeon had never heard of him. He also wasn’t updated when he had apparently achieved legendary status. “I actually just transferred from Daegu a little less than a year ago. It’s a shame I never got to see you in action.” That explained it.

“There wasn’t much action to see, Officer Lee.”

“Please, just call me Sungmin.” It was still strange for Junmyeon being out in the open again. Sure he interacted with customers as far as transactions and choosing cigarette brands was concerned but Sungmin is the first person he’d really talked to face to face since Yixing. And the idiot decided to walk right up to him in the convenience store in broad daylight. 

“So you had questions about Seoul’s gang activity?” Junmyeon asked, hoping to get the conversation over with. Sungmin had the same type of permanent smile on his face that Yixing had except that his skin was warmer and he knew that he probably hadn’t murdered someone the night before.

“Oh yes, I have plenty of questions. So many, in fact, that I thought it would just be better if we worked together.” Junmyeon stared at him, dumbfounded, then at the cockroach that was crawling up the wall behind this idiotic investigator. 

“No,” Junmyeon said stiffly, but Sungmin grabbed him by the shoulder when he tried to step around back onto the store floor. 

“Why not? You’re too good to be working in a place like this and I know your heart and soul was in this investigation before it got taken away from you. I know what happened to your former partner may have shaken you up a little bit, but you’re still young and can have a full career as a successful public servant!” Sungmin’s teeth were very white, his eyes very hopeful. 

“Officer Lee… Sungmin… it wouldn’t work out, believe me.” Mostly because he was now definitely connected with the Silver Dragon and even just having this conversation with Sungmin was putting the both of them in danger. Suddenly, a card was being pushed into the palm of his hand.

“That’s my address and phone number. This would all be happening off the record. Unfortunately not much has changed since you left. I’m the only one currently working full time on this case and I don’t have a partner. Any assistance you could give me would really help make Seoul a safer place.”

Junmyeon used to think like that too. He reasoned that maybe his outlook on life changed somewhere between the sight of a teenage boy getting beaten within the walls of a police station and Yixing’s hot breath on his neck as he watched his partner get systematically divided into pieces.

Another cockroach nudged its way out between two cardboard boxes.

“I think you should go, Sungmin,” he said but his chest was tight as the words left his mouth. Sungmin’s smile only faltered for a split second.

“You have so much potential. Boa really does speak highly of you. If you ever change your mind, you know how to contact me.” Sungmin reached out to pat his shoulder like they knew each other or like they were good friends which definitely wasn’t the case and Junmyeon wondered when friendly actions made his toes curl. It was as if Sungmin was mocking him even though the sensible part of Junmyeon’s mind told him that this wasn’t the case. “Since I can see you’re hesitant about the decision, however, I will ask you one of my many questions. Have you heard of a person named Lee Taemin?” Junmyeon put the card in his pocket. 

“Yes. I have.”

“And did you ever follow up with him regarding… Kim Jongin? The informant you had for the case?”

“No.”

“Because the lead went dry? I knew Youngwoon when I was younger. He was never good at being gentle.” Perhaps Sungmin really  _ was  _ mocking him.

“You seem to be well informed, Sungmin. I’m sure you’ll do fine on your own,” he said, turning to walk back into the main room of the store but the older man grabbed his arm.

“He’s in a place I can't go to, Junmyeon. People know I’ve been investigating. The address is on the back of the card I gave you. If you go, perhaps you’ll rediscover the spark you used to have."

Junmyeon stood in the same spot long after Sungmin had left, old gears turning in his head. 

He needed alcohol to stop them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is officially over 100k!!!!! Dang. Well, if you've made it this far... thank you for continuing to read! And happy new year!!!! Hopefully everything is making sense. I never know if people read every chapter or just the ones that include the specific storyline they're interested in...
> 
> OTHER STORIES BY UNUSUAL_TABLE
> 
> [Two Minutes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24045196/chapters/57859369): Jongin was born just two minutes after Kai. It took him a long time to realize he didn’t need to spend the rest of his life trying to catch up. [TWINS!AU - CHANKAI, SEKAI]
> 
> [Bound by Silver](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23604130/chapters/56642974): Master had three simple rules for Wolf to follow. The first was to never go beyond the fence. The second was to never speak to lodgers. The third was to never respond to the howl of the Mountain Spirits that could be heard on nights of the full moon. [WOLF!AU - SEKAI, BAEKYEOL, LAYHAN]
> 
> [Ghost Light](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24366250/chapters/58764295): After Junmyeon’s life falls apart, he retreats to his family’s small home near Daegu. Sequestered in his little house on the hill, he soon finds himself acquainted with an odd mailman named Zhang Yixing. [THEATRE!AU - SULAY]


	42. Act III: Chapter XI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT III: When Yunho's friends come down from Seoul they usually don't stay for very long but Sehun had a feeling that Kai wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Jongin  
> Scene II - Junmyeon  
> Scene III - Sehun
> 
> FIRST APPEARANCE (EXO): Minseok

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

“Can you drop me off at Sehun’s school?” The question had been on the tip of Kai’s tongue for a while even since before they’d left downtown. 

“His school? Why?”

“Because… I was out all night. I feel like I should make it up to him. He should be getting out soon, right?” 

What was supposed to be a usual nightly shipment turned into heavy questioning and eventually fist fights with dock workers, a lengthy phone call with Kyuhyun, and Kai personally cataloguing over a hundred crates. Key refused to take him home by the time everything ended and what was supposed to be a good rest turned into an uncomfortable nap followed by more phone calls, checks, and double checks. Someone had been taking from and altering their inventory both in the warehouses in Seoul and the ships that came in from Japan. And whoever it was, they’d been doing it little by little for a while.

Things were only getting worse in Phantom. Businesses were getting shut down or bought out with many of Phantom’s more solo operations turning into small massacres. They were outnumbered. The inn, the one where Xiah had taken him once, faced a silent death. It had happened overnight, members of Phantom killed in their sleep. It was clean though with the only evidence left afterwards being a large blue “X” spray painted onto the side of the building.

“Seohyun says the two of you have been getting close,” Key said as they turned off the road earlier than they usually would have. Kai assumed his request had been granted. This must be the way to Sehun’s school. Immediately, he began to get nervous. The two of them had spoken before about a visit like this and he hoped doing it like this wouldn’t be too sudden. It was difficult to picture Sehun getting upset about anything. 

“We get along.”

“He gets very easily attached, you know. Kyuhyun actually spent a long time down here after he got into a car crash. Sehun cried for days after he left. He got angry when he thought I was leaving too, even threatened to run away. I’m not sure how much he’s matured since then.” Kai played with his fingers, letting Key’s words sink in.

“Sehun just… doesn’t want to feel like he’s being left behind or left out. He doesn’t like it when people treat him like a baby.” Key whistled.

“I guess you’re a Sehun expert now, huh? Just know that after you leave, Yunho won’t take too kindly to you keeping in contact with him. There’s a reason they keep Sehun down here. Few people in Seoul even know he exists.”

“I know,” Kai said even though he didn’t know about needing to cut contact with Sehun for sure until just now. It made sense. People like Sehun and Seohyun were already more involved with Phantom than they should be, living connected to Yunho as they were. At the end of the day, Kai was a nobody. A footsoldier, if anything. A high school dropout. A delinquent. When the time came, Sehun wouldn’t miss him.

Right?

Sehun’s school was immediately much brighter than Sungji High ever was with a large grass soccer field and rows of trees with benches underneath, students talking animatedly. The outside walls were free of faded graffiti and the windows shined. After Key drove away, giving him an extra warning and a look of suspicion, Kai felt oddly out of place despite the fact that he was the same age as the kids who stared at him as they walked through the gate. It took him by surprise when the voice that eventually shouted out his name was female.

“OH. MY. GOD. IS THAT KIM KAI? SEHUN YOU DIDN’T TELL ME HE WAS COMING!” There was a girl who was short and overflowing with energy as her hands wrapped around Sehun’s waist as she stood behind him, peeking out to look ahead at Kai standing there awkwardly. 

She was pretty.

The girl ran, seemingly satisfied with how much she was simultaneously embarrassing both of them, to stand in front of him leaving Sehun behind. The two boys made eye contact briefly, his cheeks dusted with pink, just as the girl raised on her toes to look him more closely in the face before standing down and extending a hand. 

“Hi. I’m Yerim. I’m Sehun’s friend. Has he ever told you that we both think you are the finest specimen to ever grace our humble countryside?” She grinned widely, eyes clearly roaming from the top of his head to the tips of his toes before she began to circle around him. Sehun hurried towards them.

“Y-Yerim, stop crowding him!” Sehun pulled her away. Her eyes lowered in feigned apology.

“Sorry. I’ve just seen so much of you in Sehun’s work but I’m more of a fan of sculpting and I can’t help but wonder what things look like from every angle!” Sehun quickly covered her mouth with his hand making the girl cross her arms and pout. It was strange seeing Sehun act so comfortable with someone. So affectionate. The two of them exchanged a few hushed words before another group of girls called her away. Kai looked at her retreating form until he heard Sehun clear his throat.

“Are you ok?”

“I’m… yeah.” It felt strange seeing Sehun in this setting but calming at the same time. Looking around, it was the first time Kai had really missed high school. Sehun turned him so that they were facing each other.

“I won’t lie. I’m surprised to see you here. But happy! I was… worried. Before. When you didn’t come home last night. Seohyun noona said everything was fine but… you can call, you know? She wouldn’t let me. Call you, I mean. I wanted to though. Are you alright? Where’s Key hyung?” Kai let himself be led towards the parking lot where Sehun kept his bike.

“I thought you’d feel that way so I asked Key to just drop me off here instead of going all the way home. He needs to get some rest anyway. And I’m ok.” Sehun’s grip on his arm got tighter.

“Good. Do you mind making a stop on the way back to the house?”

Traveling through the small town area perched on the back of Sehun’s bike was a new experience but just like with Yerim, Sehun didn’t seem to mind at all the way Kai was forced to hold onto him. By the time they pulled up in front of the bubble tea shop Sehun always spoke so fondly about, everything that had happened the night before wasn’t on his mind anymore. A large group of students were leaving as the two of them walked in and the man behind the counter with an owl face and large eyes waved to Sehun and looked at Kai curiously.

“Minseok hyung, this is Kai!” For the second time that day it was like Sehun was bringing him around for show and tell.

“Finally. I’ve heard so much about you, Kai. For making it all the way out here, bubble tea is on the house today.” 

Sehun launched into conversation with the older man who looked like he could be a college student. Despite all the time Sehun spent craving company at home, it was nice to see yet another person he was so comfortable with. Happy with. Louder. More animated. Feeling a bit out of place, Kai decided to settle against one of the walls until Sehun reached behind him and felt that he wasn’t there to receive his bubble tea. Kai grinned slightly and walked over to him. Sehun kept a finger tugging on the end of his sleeve during the rest of his chat with Minseok, clear excitement buzzing in the air.

“It’s really cool you came today, Kai. You should come more often,” Minseok said.

“I’ll try,” he said, Sehun nodding vigorously beside him.

It was a considerably chilly afternoon but the cold wind was mostly blocked by Sehun’s torso as he pedaled on down the road, the bag of bubble tea situated neatly in the bike’s front basket. The scene was similar to the ones he’d think of back before he met Taemin, back when he was just another face in the crowd at the orphanage. It would be him on a bike maybe with his new parents going through a park. A big park, somewhere safe. He gripped Sehun’s jacket a little tighter as they started going up a hill. At least Sehun had gotten a life a bit like that.

Today was the first time Kai believed he’d seen Sehun truly happy. For the first time he didn’t seem worried or anxious or awkward. Kai had seen Sehun in his normal life, the life Sehun lived before he was pushed into the picture, the life Sehun would live after he was gone. One with Seohyun, Minseok, and Yerim. A happy life, even if he might be upset for a little while.

Sehun was everything Kai could’ve been but would never be. None of this belonged to him. Everything he experienced with Sehun was borrowed.

With his tiredness and fatigue, the sudden melancholy of autumn awakened in his bones accompanied by heavy dread, Sehun’s soft humming fading away in his mind. One year had passed since everything had changed and he was almost happy again. He could taste it, that happiness, but he didn’t deserve it. Kai knew he didn’t deserve to be happy. He didn’t deserve anything.

Maybe he should’ve let Key drive him home.

***

Hope. At this point in life, it was a bit of a foreign feeling for Junmyeon. It also made things a little scary. But by the time his shift had ended at the rundown convenience store the day Sungmin had visited, his internal cycle of panic had come to a slow glide and he began to think. Youngwoon always used to say he thought too much for his own good. Junmyeon now had enough experience to know his old partner had been spot on with that. 

Along with this small, newborn feeling of hope, he also felt stuck in the middle. It would be a lie to say that he wasn’t bitter as far as the police force was concerned. The way the case with Phantom had been pushed aside was pure politics. But it would also be a lie to say that he had any active desire to align himself further with a foreign crime syndicate and if he were to ignore everything Sungmin was offering him, that would be his inevitable fate barring a sudden loss of interest on Yixing’s part. He just wanted things to be fixed, for the streets of Seoul to be safe the way it always used to be in his mind except for now he knew he didn’t necessarily need a badge again to make that happen. Not with Sungmin’s offer on the table. A request to conduct a simple visit and nothing further if he didn’t want to. Or maybe he was getting ahead of himself. Thinking too much. Drinking not enough.

A bottle of soju and a peach later and he was thinking about Jongin, sitting there tipsy in front of his boxes of old files and newspaper clippings. It could be possible to fix things with him. Kim Jongin, the same kid who he first saw sitting in the far corner of the juvenile detention center’s indoor recreation area rubbing his eyes to try to hide the fact that he’d been crying most of the day. Kim Jongin, the same kid who asked him what high school was like, what college was like, what types of careers there were. The same kid who reached out to him when he was in trouble, the same kid who he’d betrayed by trusting in the system he worked for. Junmyeon wanted to fix what he had broken.

But what about Yixing? That was often his last thought before falling asleep each night. It was pathetic.

Junmyeon shivered, pulling up the zipper of his jacket a little bit more. He pulled the drawstrings of the hoodie he wore underneath too. It’s amazing how much colder Seoul was when you didn’t have any alcohol in your system to warm you up. 

The neighborhood around him wasn’t what it used to be. Mirotic still stood tall but the line outside was much shorter and the streets leading to it were emptier, flyers scattered at his feet for deals and events that happened months ago. But he walked past Mirotic. That wasn’t his destination tonight, not the destination Sungmin had written on the back of his business card. He kept walking for another twenty minutes, getting more nervous as he did so. Junmyeon hoped he blended in at least a little bit. The last time he had run through these streets his feet had felt a lot less heavy and his physique nowhere near as soft.

The building he was looking for could only be entered through an alleyway. Behind it sat a large man behind a small podium and a girl standing next to him who couldn’t have been older than seven or eight. She took the few steps needed to get to where Junmyeon was standing and handed him what looked to be a menu but upon opening it saw a selection of around thirty or so people of different ages, genders, and appearance. Junmyeon had never been to a brothel before. Others in the homicide department had been in charge of murders in connection to prostitution. But he assumed each place like this was known for its own particular style or offerings. This just seemed to be made up of completely random individuals. His eyes traveled to the young girl who was back standing stock still. 

“If ya want more den one it’s gonna be extra,” the man grumbled. Junmyeon’s eyes scanned the page until he found the name he was looking for accompanied by a picture of a boy sporting an absurd amount of eyeliner and disheveled black hair.

“How much for one hour with Taemin?” The man straightened in his chair to look at him now, a bit of surprise on his face.

“Taemin? You sure about that?” The girl looked like she was holding back laughter. 

“Yes. I’ve come specifically for him.” At that, the man seemed even more taken aback.

“I’d be scamming you if I charged you full price. I’ll charge you half the rate. Just uh… take some a these, yeah?” The man waved a basket of condoms in front of him and Junmyeon took one with the assumption that it was a requirement for entry. The few bills he needed to cover the cost he put in the palm of the girl’s outstretched hand. She seemed alright. Not scared. Junmyeon silently hoped she was related to someone who worked here. No matter how much he might want to take everyone out of this place, that wasn’t within his power. That’s not what he was here for.

“Basement,” she squeaked after counting. “End of the hall.”

The whole place stunk of tobacco and the narrow staircase was decorated with tacky Valentine’s Day decorations. He wondered if this place was really owned by Phantom. While the gang was never particularly lavish, he had never seen a place so trashy in his life.

At the end of the hallway, which was also decorated with hearts and pink string lights, he knocked on the door then turned the knob. It was already open.

“Minho hyung?” 

The boy was lying on the wide bed, bare chest turned to the ceiling, feet pointing towards the headboard and head hanging off the opposite end facing towards the door. His blown pupils wandered over the general area where Junmyeon was standing. This was Taemin. Jongin’s only known acquaintance that Sungmin managed to track down, the only one who might know what had happened the night of Chanyeol’s murder. Junmyeon had been witness to a lot of unpleasant things in his line of work and the image in front of him looked like a crime scene waiting to happen. This was the same Taemin that Jongin had mentioned he’d grown up with. Yet he was in a place like this.

The picture he had seen in the establishment’s catalogue, he realized, must’ve been old or photoshopped because while Taemin did have on an absurd amount of eyeliner, it was messy and slightly running. His cheeks had practically caved in on themselves and his ribs jutted out prominently even in the dimly lit room. The tight leather pants he wore also somehow seemed to be a bit loose around his narrow hips and nonexistent thighs. If he had been sleeping, Junmyeon would’ve thought he was dead and had been for a while.

“You’re not my Minho hyung,” Taemin said next, voice changing pitch up and down with every syllable. “Figures. He got soooo mad.”

Junmyeon decided to take a few steps forward but his shoe hit something that began to roll across the floor. A syringe.

“DON’T TOUCH THAT!” Taemin yelled. “I threw it at him,” he giggled, “and he said he wasn’t coming back for me. He’s lying though. He always comes back because I’m too pretty. I’m his boyfriend.”

Junmyeon sat on the edge of the bed, dragging the boy gently into a sitting position. Taeming flinched like he wasn’t used to being touched that way. Beneath the heavy perfume he had probably sprayed on himself and around the room, Junmyeon could smell the stench of accumulated dirt and sweat. 

“Are you Lee Taemin?” he asked. 

“I’m whoever you want me to be.” Taemin’s bony fingers trailed down his face and chest until they rested on his belt and he leaned in close. “You can be whoever you want to be, too.” He pushed the boy away but held him steady by the arms.

“I’m here to talk to you.” Taemin raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything as his head tilted over to the side to press against his own shoulder. “I need you to tell me everything you know about Kim Jongin.” Taemin leaned back pulling Junmyeon with him until they were on top of each other over the old mattress. Junmyeon made sure to keep himself reasonably elevated, concerned that he could actually hurt Taemin in half if he rested his full weight on him.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve heard anyone call him by that name,” Taemin whispered looking past Junmyeon’s shoulder instead of at his face.

“Is he alive?” Taemin’s hands trailed up and down his chest in a massaging motion. 

“Depends on who you ask. Gonna cost you extra.” Junmyeon reached behind him and pulled his wallet out of his pocket, emptying the rest of the bills he thought he would’ve needed to get to Taemin in the first place. The boy seemed satisfied. “He goes by Kai now. Sticks to the shadows, ya know? Cops were sniffing him out. They think he killed his beanpole of a boyfriend.”

“But he didn’t,” Junmyeon prompted eagerly. Taemin laughed beneath him.

“Oh yeah, he killed him. Saw it myself, ya know?” He rolled the two of them over, pinning Junmyeon to the bed. “But a man like you going around asking for Jongin… you must think I’m lying to you right now. What did he do? What trouble is he in now?”

“He had no motive.”

“It’s my fault,” Taemin whispered, “I told him to run away with me. He always did what I told him to. He’s so obedient. Such a good little boy. Good little Jonginnie.” He leaned down into what might’ve been intended as a kiss but just ended in Taemin falling limp on top of him with a tired sigh.

“Where is he now?”

For a moment it seemed as if Taemin had fallen asleep, but with shaky arms he raised himself up again, looking over to his cluttered nightstand. 

“He’s a monster. Can you believe it? Will kill anyone Boss points his finger at. He’s like a dog, a little bitch… and ya know what? He pushed me down on the floor in this very room and fucked me harder than anyone else ever has when I told him. _Then_ he told me to kill him. THAT MURDERER ASKED TO BE KILLED. AND YA KNOW WHAT? I TOLD HIM HE WAS ALREADY DEAD,” Taemin started screaming, voice cracking. “That fucking little bitch Jonginnie… my only friend…” The warm tears that fell from the boy’s eyes down on Junmyeon’s nose tickled his skin.

“Where is he now?” he asked again, keeping his breath as even as possible.

“Hell if I know.”

***

Sehun’s eyes shot open, sheets twisted at his ankles, forehead matted with sweat, flannel pajama pants tight around him with the image of Kai’s warm skin and soft hair and open mouth flashing through his mind until he steadied his breathing and realized it had all been one long, detailed, embarrassing dream. He was still for a few moments before rolling out of bed to dart to the bathroom, not even daring to look in the direction of Kai’s bed across from him.

He cursed Yerim under his breath as the cold spray of the shower engulfed him. He’d never imagined anyone else that way except for Tao and that had only happened once… though Tao had never been sleeping directly across from him. But tonight in his dream the booming sound of the applause and the lights that illuminated Seoul and Kai’s eyes as he dragged him down by the jacket to kiss him in the darkness of an alleyway had seemed so real. The way he smiled at him and looked at him like he was the only thing that mattered in the world as his hands started wandering… 

“Get it together, Sehun. You’re not in middle school anymore,” he told himself while staring in the mirror. “You don’t mean anything to him. He’s going to leave… soon…”

Sehun didn’t have to be told. He could see it in the way Seohyun looked at him when she thought he didn’t notice. He could see it in the way Kai spent more and more time away with Key, only coming back home to sleep in his own bed. It was almost December. Kai had been here for two months. Most of Yunho’s friends left after two weeks. But Kai couldn’t leave, not yet. He wasn’t better yet. He’d still have nightmares and lately he’d been losing his appetite more often during the rare meal he didn’t eat while out with Key and the others. But Sehun wouldn’t let it get to him. Someday Mr. Kim would call him back and send down a fancy car to bring him up to Seoul and he could see Kai do… whatever it is he did… something beautiful and great. It wouldn’t be long.

When he crept back into the bedroom his stomach still flipped with embarrassment and he kept his head down only deciding to chance a look at Kai before he hopped back into bed.

But he wasn’t there.

Sehun went over to Kai’s side of the room, hand running over the sheets. They were cold.

He ran to the bathroom even though he was just there. The lock was still on the medicine cabinet even though there was nothing but a few simple pain relievers and cough medicine inside. He ran down to the kitchen and checked the lock on the drawer that held the knives. It was still intact. He checked the guest bedroom and their own bedroom again, both of which all the pairs of scissors had been removed from. Key hadn’t been here. Kai would’ve left a text if he had gone off with Key but his phone was still on the table.

Hastily throwing on a sweatshirt and jacket, he grabbed a flashlight and rushed off the back porch into the field. His bike was still chained up. Kai could barely ride anyway. He continued to run, scaring away a few animals as he did so until the open field gave way to trees and trees gave way to the familiar small clearing where Kai lay, back facing him.

“KAI!” Sehun’s blood had long since run cold though it pounded in his ears. Kai was curled in on himself only clad in a nightshirt and light sleeping pants. His feet were completely bare but he was alive… alive and shivering cold. His eyelids barely open.

Sehun took off his jacket and sweatshirt, wrapping them both around Kai’s shoulders. He took off his shoes in order to remove his socks and put those on Kai’s feet as well.

“Stop…”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing out here, Kai? This is ridiculous! How long have you been outside?” Kai didn’t bother to wipe away the mucus falling from his nose but he shrugged the extra layers off of his shoulders back down to the grass.

“I’m so dirty… don’t touch me.” Sehun pulled the sweatshirt back over him anyway, pulling Kai up and draping the jacket around both of their shoulders and holding him close.

“Stop saying that about yourself. You scared me. Don’t ever do that again. If… if you’re feeling bad… just wake me up. I won’t mind. Just wake me up.”

“It’s his birthday today. It’s not fair. I’m so dirty.” It was only then that Sehun realized Kai was scratching his hands and there were scratches of a thick, raised, angry red all up and down his arms. Some were bleeding. He took one in each of his own as Kai began to pant against his neck.

“Do you want to talk about it inside the house? We can talk for as long as you want.” Kai shook his head.

“I’m not alive because he wanted me to live. I’m alive because dying is too easy, Sehun. I’m so selfish. I need… I need Youngmin to take me back.”

“Mr. Kim? We can call him. We can call him but only in the morning ok?” He didn’t want Kai to leave. He didn’t want Mr. Kim to take him back to Seoul.

It was nearing four in the morning by the time Sehun managed to drag Kai back into the house. He pushed Kai into his bed and put as many covers over him as possible. He wasn’t resisting anymore.

“You don’t have to keep looking at me… I’m not crazy. I’m not going to hurt myself,” he said quietly. Sehun didn’t move from the bedside anyway. His memory was clear though. Crisp. Accurate.

“Who’s Chanyeol?” Kai flinched as the words left his mouth. “You’ve… you’ve mentioned him… mostly while you were sleeping. I think we should talk about Chanyeol so you can get better. It hurts to see you this way.” Kai’s hand slid out from under the covers to pick up Sehun’s, observing each finger slowly. Sehun didn’t pull away, didn’t even think about it, because it was so rare that Kai reached out and touched him.

“He liked the outdoors. He would’ve liked it here so much. He would’ve liked you, Sehun. He would’ve taken good care of you. It’s not fair. I don’t deserve any of what you’ve given me. It should’ve been for him.” Sehun trapped Kai’s hand before he could pull away, not caring if Kai saw how red his face had turned. He wanted to say that Kai liked the outdoors and that Kai liked it here and that he, at least, liked Kai. At least he knew he liked being around Kai, that he didn’t want Kai to leave.

“What happened to him?” When Sehun’s grip loosened a bit, Kai retracted his hand.

_“I_ happened to him.” Before Sehun could figure out what Kai meant, he spoke again. “I’m not going to hurt myself, Sehun. I just needed some time alone. I fell asleep outside. That’s all that happened. Go back to bed.” Sehun hesitantly stood up and slid back under his own covers. Kai was still watching him, silent as could be. Eerily so. Sehun fought to keep his eyes open but eventually fell asleep with the rising of the sun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OTHER STORIES BY UNUSUAL_TABLE
> 
> [Two Minutes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24045196/chapters/57859369): Jongin was born just two minutes after Kai. It took him a long time to realize he didn’t need to spend the rest of his life trying to catch up. [TWINS!AU - CHANKAI, SEKAI]
> 
> [Bound by Silver](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23604130/chapters/56642974): Master had three simple rules for Wolf to follow. The first was to never go beyond the fence. The second was to never speak to lodgers. The third was to never respond to the howl of the Mountain Spirits that could be heard on nights of the full moon. [WOLF!AU - SEKAI, BAEKYEOL, LAYHAN]
> 
> [Ghost Light](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24366250/chapters/58764295): After Junmyeon’s life falls apart, he retreats to his family’s small home near Daegu. Sequestered in his little house on the hill, he soon finds himself acquainted with an odd mailman named Zhang Yixing. [THEATRE!AU - SULAY]


	43. Act III: Chapter XII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT III: When Yunho's friends come down from Seoul they usually don't stay for very long but Sehun had a feeling that Kai wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
> 
> CHAPTER POV:
> 
> Scene I - Sehun  
> Scene II - Kyungsoo  
> Scene III - Jongdae

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GENERAL CONTENT WARNING: This story is not for sensitive audiences.

Sehun was woken up by the sound of his door slamming open and the sheets being pulled off his body followed by a sharp tug on the front of his nightshirt that lifted his entire upper body off the mattress before gravity took him back down.

“Pack up your shit. We’re leaving,” he heard Hyukjae say to him. Sehun’s eyes almost burned when trying to open them, squinting as if exhaustion was keeping them sewn mostly shut. But eventually, he blinked enough of the tiredness away to see the man pulling his suitcase out of the closet and tossing it on the floor. 

Hyukjae whipped back around, his face creased in a perfect swirl of fear and anger. He approached Sehun’s bed again and in this time pulled him by his clothes so hard, Sehun stumbled out onto the floor, the wood slamming against his knees. “I SAID MOVE, SEHUN!” he shouted as he did so but before Sehun could gain his bearings enough to respond, Seohyun came running through the open door that had hit his desk so hard upon being flung open that a number of his figurines had been knocked over. She hurried over to Sehun and put her arm protectively over his shoulders before looking up at Hyukjae who by now was glaring back at the both of them.

“I said we’re not doing this! And I said you were not to touch him!” she said. 

Sehun was frozen in place. He was tired, his eyes still felt itchy, and he was hungry too. Unlike Key, Hyukjae rarely ever came to the house. Sehun hadn’t seen him physically in over a year. “This doesn’t involve Sehun,” Seohyun continued more calmly, cutting off Hyukjae who seemed like he was about to yell again. “When it does, Sehun is  _ my _ responsibility. Not yours. So wait for me downstairs. Quietly.”

Hyukjae took a few deep breaths, rubbing the heel of his hand against his hairline before storming back out of the room. Next to Sehun, Seohyun wilted. 

“Go back to sleep, Sehun,” she said, helping him up off the floor until he was once again sitting on the mattress.

“What… wh-what was that about?” he asked, awake enough now that the full impact of what had just occurred made his voice tremble.

“We’ll talk later, just try to sleep some more now.” Seohyun squeezed his hand gently once before following where the older man had gone, shutting the door silently behind her.

Across from him, Kai’s bed was empty. Outside his window was the sunlight of the early morning. No more than an hour or two could’ve passed since he’d fallen asleep. Sehun could still hear shouting from downstairs. From the sound of it, more people than just Hyukjae were here. He got up again, planning to perhaps take a peek from the top of the stairs to see for himself what was going on but one tug revealed that Seohyun had latched the door shut from the outside - something she only did when Sehun acted up when he was younger and she needed a moment to collect herself. He’d forgotten the latch even existed.

He slipped on a sweatshirt and sat down at his desk picking up his phone. It wasn’t getting any signal and couldn’t get to the internet search engine. The only computer in the house was kept in Seohyun’s room. Kai’s phone wasn’t by his bed but the rest of his things were still there so wherever he had gone, he hadn’t left for good but still, Sehun’s irritation grew. The others always said things didn’t involve him but from the look on Hyukjae’s face and the fact that he was here at all clearly meant that it did.

Sehun paced back and forth in his room, knocking on the door from time to time and shouting trying to drown out the voices still coming from below until he heard someone’s footsteps stop outside his door.

“Hey! Open the door! I deserve to know what's going on too!" He took a step back, crossing his arms, waiting. The person outside still hadn’t moved. “I know you’re out there. Key hyung? Open the door!”

He stomped back over to his bed when he heard the person walking away, kicking and squirming under the sheets, fuming, until he ran out of what little energy he had, the sun moving higher in the sky.

When Sehun woke up again it was well into the afternoon and the house was quiet. He’d missed doing his paper route and the entire school day. He put on his slippers, relieved when the door opened easily. The hallway was empty and so was the entire downstairs. Itching to find out what was going on, if anything, he turned on the TV but the only channels that weren’t blocked were the ones showing cartoons.

“Sehun?” Seohyun appeared in the entryway, eyes a little baggy. “Did you rest well?” She came into the room to sit next to him on the couch.

“Yeah… but why was Hyukjae hyung here?”

“He was just checking on us.”

“Why did he tell me to pack up my things? Where are we going?”

“Don’t worry about that. You’re not going anywhere. He was just getting ahead of himself, that’s all.” An obnoxious commercial came on advertising a toy Sehun was far too old to be interested in but they watched in silence anyway.

“You were crying,” he said after the cartoon continued. Seohyun smiled and rubbed the backs of her hands over her cheeks.

“Yeah. I guess I was.”

“Why?”

“Silly reasons.”

“Noona… you can let me take care of you too, you know? We’re both old enough to look out for each other.” She didn’t say anything but ran her fingers through his hair while staring off into space. It had been a long time since they’d last spent time together like this. “And I’m assuming that there’s a reason you let me miss school today.” She sighed.

“Yes, Sehun. I think… Hyukjae and I were discussing… we think you should take some time off from school for now.” He flinched away, making Seohyun’s hand drop from his head.

“What? Why? How long? You can’t just decide these things for me!”

“Calm down, Sehun. It’s not that big of a deal.” He stood up from the couch, animated explosions happening behind him on the screen.

“It’s a big deal to me! You can’t just take me out of school without asking! How long?” He felt a pang of guilt as he watched Seohyun’s shoulders sag. Her hair was messy and she hadn’t put any makeup on today.

“A week or two… possibly. Hyukjae wants you to take off the rest of the year.”

“And you told him that’s ridiculous, right?” Her eyes rested on the floor. “Right, noona?” His chest tightened the longer she didn’t answer.

“Sehun…”

“Where’s Kai?” he asked, voice shaking. “He can’t work today. He didn’t sleep well and odds are he’s caught a cold so if you won’t tell me what you and Hyukjae hyung were really arguing about, why you’ve canceled the service on my phone, why you’ve blocked all the TV channels, and why you locked me in my room like I was some little kid throwing a tantrum, tell me where Kai is. Now.” Seohyun folded her hands together.

“He’ll be back late.”

“Late from where?”

“With Key and the others.”

“And where is that?” Sehun rubbed a hand over his eyes and blinked several times because he wasn’t going to cry. He had to get angry without crying. “You never tell me anything. Do you think I’m stupid? I do everything you tell me to while you go off doing anything you want to!” And he knew what he was saying wasn’t right because Seohyun began taking care of him when she wasn’t much older than he was now. She studied independently to get the equivalent of a high school diploma. She didn’t even consider college because of him. “You won’t let me play sports, you won’t let me bring people over, you won’t let me go hang out with people after school. Because of you, I have no real friends. I’m… I’M MISERABLE! I HATE THIS PLACE! I HATE YOU!”

Sehun’s chest heaved in and out and his fists were balled so tightly it hurt. All Seohyun did was sit on the couch looking at the TV. Everything within Sehun told him to apologize but he couldn’t bring himself to. He couldn’t stop.

“Sit down, Sehun.”

“NO! NOT UNTIL YOU SAY SOMETHING THAT MAKES SENSE!”

“Yunho was killed last night.”

***

Joy was one of the last people to get off the bus but as soon as her eyes met with Kyungsoo’s she skipped forward, hugging him so tight he thought he would explode.

“You’re always so squishy,” she said, arms tightening one more time before letting go. 

“How are you feeling?” Kyungsoo asked. She sighed and shoved her hands into the pockets of her coat.

“Better. It’s a day of celebration and I hope you remembered to order the red velvet cake. Oppa refused to eat red velvet  _ anything _ for years but I always told him it was more interesting than just plain old chocolate. He finally gave in… two years ago… he was hooked!”

Joy had been living with Kyungsoo’s parents for a full year now. She attended Sungji High just like her brother but her grades were on a level equal to Baekhyun’s and his own. Everyone was delighted by her success especially with all that had happened.

“A new officer picked up Jongin’s case,” Joy said next, a bit more quietly. “Did your mom tell you? It was uh… Sungmin, Agent Lee Sungmin.”

“I didn’t hear. He called the house?”

“No, just me. He wants to ask some questions though I feel like I’ve already answered as many as I can. I know Jongin is out there somewhere.” Kyungsoo frowned. 

“That’s… great, but make sure you don’t meet him without mom or dad, ok? Make sure it’s at the police station.”

Even though Joy’s time at Sungji High started out a bit rough, since returning from summer break with her grandparents, her confidence had skyrocketed and she was now happily participating in a local robotics league outside of school and had finally found a friend group of sorts in school who didn’t seem to get up to any trouble. She was a natural genius and his parents indulged her in her love of exploring. She could navigate every museum in Seoul with her eyes closed and over the summer holiday her grandparents had taken quite an extensive camping trip where she’d crafted together a mini journal about the plants and creatures she’d found.

Joy also never stopped thinking about Jongin because her brother loved him and since they had never found a body she had faith that he was still alive. When speaking about the police she never seemed down about the fact that Jongin was a primary suspect but no one who had ever seen Chanyeol and Jongin together thought that he was the one that did it. The rising gang violence, however, was worrying both to them and the neighborhood at large since many Sungji students traveled through or lived near the areas of escalating violence.

“What did Baekhyun say about our plan?” They locked arms together, Kyungsoo taking her backpack in his other hand as they walked down the street.

“He doesn’t know.”

“Kyungsoo…”

“It’s the only way!” he argued. “Ever since things with Taeyeon ended, he’s been in a bad way. Talking to me is the last thing he wants to do. I don’t think he talks to anyone aside from his mother.”

“But it might not be the healthiest thing to shove everything in his face like this. Not if he’s not ready.” 

“Trust me. I  _ know _ that. But I figured with you around, he might react differently than if it was just me.” Joy sighed and poked him roughly to express the rest of her disappointment and they made their way in the direction of the bakery in silence.

Once they arrived back at the apartment, the two of them put the cake on a plate and inflated a few balloons. It was all Joy’s idea, really. She had mentioned wanting to have a party at least just for this year because it would’ve been Chanyeol’s nineteenth birthday. It was still a somber event though, and Joy’s bubbliness from earlier died down considerably by the time everything was ready and she sat staring at the unlit candles. Kyungsoo let her be until it was almost six in the evening, the time Baekhyun always came back after his weekly visit to see his mother. Kyungsoo sat down next to Joy, rubbing her back for a few moments before taking the lighter from her hands and illuminating the two candles.

“I’m going to go wait for him out in the hall, ok?” he said. She nodded and pinched at the sleeves of her sweater as he stood up and flashed a smile once he got to the door.

“I’ll make sure the candles don’t melt too much.”

After a few moments of waiting, he spotted Baekhyun turning the corner. He walked with his arms close together in front of him and shoulders slightly hunched. Even after Baekhyun saw him, he directed his eyes towards the ground again until Kyungsoo blocked his path.

“What are you doing?” Baekhyun asked tiredly.

“I was just waiting for you to come home.”

Baekhyun didn’t seem to know how to respond to that but didn’t question anything when Kyungsoo moved aside. When Baekhyun opened the door, Kyungsoo could hear Joy shout ‘surprise’ even though he couldn’t see her. What he could see, though, was the side of Baekhyun’s clenched jaw. He walked forward, ushering Baekhyun further into the room anyway as Joy stood with an unsure expression by the table. Baekhyun was still looking at the floor.

“It’s for Chanyeol oppa’s nineteenth birthday. I wanted to come up here to celebrate it with you guys! I… I missed you a lot, Baekhyun.” Seeming to ignore Joy completely, Baekhyun turned back towards him.

“What the hell is this, Kyungsoo?” Baekhyun’s face was filled with a kind of anguish that was foreign to him.

“We… we wanted to-”

“Stop. Stop talking,” he said, then turning back to finally look at Joy like he was looking at a ghost. “Go home, Sooyoung.” 

Candlewax was now dripping steadily onto the white icing beneath it but Baekhyun seemed to have no interest in staying. Just as quickly as he’d come, he turned back around, a choked sob shuddering through his body. He took large, hurried steps towards the door before slamming it shut behind him.

***

Chen didn’t know what he was doing sitting on the steps of what he assumed was Yonsei’s library dressed head to toe in black. Boram, his former customer, was twenty-three years old, had a gentle voice, and had mentioned once that she flunked out of Yonsei three semesters in. The attendance at her funeral was pitiful but when her sister cried at the podium, Chen found himself crying too. 

It was a circus. His life was some type of twisted circus. 

He had spent the rest of the day wandering around aimlessly as Sapphire and the small gangs they’d been recruiting were celebrating all over the city. Chen wasn’t very interested in Sapphire’s activities as these days he went about completing his own as quickly and quietly as possible but even Luhan seemed itching to have a night of fun.

“ _Jung Yunho is dead_ ,” he’d said over the phone that morning when Chen was barely awake. “ _Even_ _Yifan almost smiled when he heard the news_.” Yixing hadn’t been seen ever since the fire broke out at the mansion Yunho had apparently been staying in but Luhan wasn’t worried about him. Yixing wasn’t the type to celebrate with others. Chen imagined the flames Yixing had likely caused to engulf such a massive home had been more than enough excitement for his strange flatmate. For all he knew, Yixing was still out in the woods somewhere, giddy.

It tasted wrong, though, celebrating death. He didn’t know Jung Yunho but from all of the media attention his fiery demise was getting, he assumed he was a prominent figure in various legitimate circles on top of being the right hand to Phantom’s boss. Pictures of him caring for wounded animals and for starving children in foreign countries were accompanied with large headlines like “Last Son of the Jung Family Tied With Criminal Underworld” and “The Secret Story of Jung Yunho Revealed” flashed across screens in the cafes and bars he passed by on the streets. There was no telling if Yunho’s charred body had been found in one piece or not. Whatever Yixing had done would’ve been with absolute precision. Just the thought alone should’ve bothered Chen more than it did, but losing grip on his own humanity was a daily struggle recently, one he couldn’t voice to anyone… not even Luhan. 

Scooting up a few steps and leaning against the pillar, Chen folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes. The campus was quiet. No doubt many students were preparing to head home for the winter holiday.

He imagined Boram walking up and down these steps and wondered how she went from here to a casket in such a short amount of time even though he had been there for the steepest part of the descent, urging her on, pushing her forward simply by showing up where she said she’d be with the products Zhoumi directed him to. He imagined her walking beside other students… students like Baekhyun, studying and eating together. He imagined the look on their faces when they heard the news - if they heard the news - of her death. He hadn’t gone to Chanyeol’s funeral, hadn’t even known he was dead until weeks later. It was upsetting how quickly things could change.

Just as Chen was close to dozing off even on such a chilly night, quick footsteps echoed off the stone paired with the sound of someone crying. It had been a long time since he’d heard the tears of academic stress. He’d never shed them himself. But he continued to sit there, giving up on closing his eyes and looked at the dark sky instead as a plane passed overhead. 

Still, the crying continued and the sniffles and the punctuated intakes of breath. Chen had heard enough of it today. He could be out celebrating death but he was sitting in a place where nobody as dumb as he was should be sitting with a numb butt, numb fingers, and a phone at 31% battery. He ran his hands through his hair and pulled out his unused handkerchief, circling around the pillar to the hunched over form.

“I got it at a funeral but I swear it’s clean,” he said, dangling the cheap thing in the air but keeping his eyes focused on a row of hedges in the distance. The sobbing stopped.

“Jong… Jongdae?”

The good thing about cities is that they’re easy to hide in. Sure some might think they’d have better luck hiding off the grid somewhere but in cities, you could hide in plain sight. In cities, you could be anonymous. And because Seoul was such a big city with so many people going about their day concentrating on reaching their own destinations, you could easily isolate yourself amongst the herd. You could easily operate in a world, a bubble, that was all your own. You could easily live in Seoul your entire life and never cross paths with many of its inhabitants.

Yet for the second time since he left Baekhyun in his home after the college entrance exam disheveled on the floor, Chen happened upon him by chance. This time his chocolate eyes were open, wet, and visibly bloodshot under the sparse lamps illuminating Yonsei’s library. His midnight hair was parted down the middle sloppily. He looked tired as he stood up to face him.

Chen expected a lot of things. Sometimes he had dreams of this encounter. He imagined the fear that would probably flash across Baekhyun’s face or the anger behind the sharp words he’d use against him. He imagined just being ignored as if he had never been a part of Baekhyun’s life at all.

It was only partly a surprise when the sound of a slap echoed into the night, his head snapped to the side. It was less of a surprise when it happened again. But it was a surprise when Baekhyun’s tired face wrinkled up again, fresh tears falling as he took two steps forward and clung to him like he’d been found shipwrecked at sea.

“You left me,” Baekhyun said against his shoulder. “It’s his birthday, Jongdae. It’s his birthday today. Our Yeol.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OTHER STORIES BY UNUSUAL_TABLE
> 
> [Two Minutes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24045196/chapters/57859369): Jongin was born just two minutes after Kai. It took him a long time to realize he didn’t need to spend the rest of his life trying to catch up. [TWINS!AU - CHANKAI, SEKAI]
> 
> [Bound by Silver](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23604130/chapters/56642974): Master had three simple rules for Wolf to follow. The first was to never go beyond the fence. The second was to never speak to lodgers. The third was to never respond to the howl of the Mountain Spirits that could be heard on nights of the full moon. [WOLF!AU - SEKAI, BAEKYEOL, LAYHAN]
> 
> [Ghost Light](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24366250/chapters/58764295): After Junmyeon’s life falls apart, he retreats to his family’s small home near Daegu. Sequestered in his little house on the hill, he soon finds himself acquainted with an odd mailman named Zhang Yixing. [THEATRE!AU - SULAY]


End file.
